Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

Sounds like a good system all around. I know how much you like to hatch!

It is very windy here today. Freaking out the chickens. I tried to put a curtain thingy over the coop pop door to keep out the egg-eating jay. Big fail. My skitty Ameraucana was so terrified over the change, she didn't come back to the coop for the evening and was out wandering yesterday morning. She tried it again last night. Took half an hour to find her and my hubs had to climb up into the buckeye tree to get her. I am keeping them locked up for most of this morning to see if she will calm down. The terrifying curtain is gone. Battle of the jay continues...

 

[BullChick]

I have been canning since 10:30. I just removed the lid to the canner. Whew! What a day!
I filled eight jars with meatballs, and six with cubed chicken. I've been smelling chicken for about an hour, and have been praying that no jars broke. I am happy to report that I don't see any chicken floating around, though I did see three ducks and a swan. :-D
I'm listening to the sweet sound of lids popping. The only sound better is the peeping of a newly pipped egg. Or your human baby's first cry.

 

[HugHess]

OK. This is the super fun game I started my morning with. Ready? Here we go.
Just found out you gave the answer. Well, that WAS a fun game! Lol!

Where's the hawk?

No glasses on a 4" screen... but I think his tail is to the right edge of frame, mid pic(?)

Just found out you gave the answer! Dang it!

 

[7 Biddies]

So I'm laying in bed this morning during the lull between when the boys go to school and when the girl goes.  I hear the chickens fussing, which they do a lot.  In fact, the other day they were bawking so much, I was really concerned about my neighbor getting mad about it.

This was a little different, though.  It sounded like the egg song but usually with the eggsong it's one or maaaybe two doing it.  This was several.  Otherwise it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

After a minute or so of them screaming their heads off BAWKbawkbawkbawkbawkBAWKBAWKbawkbawkbawkBAWWWWWK I started to mosey downstairs to have a look and shut them up.  

I head for the back door and there is a window right next to it that you can't help but look through it as you walk up to the door.  That's where I took that picture from.  Sitting there there on my fence was a hawk!  I figured the girls were in the run screeching at him.  I snapped a picture just as he decided to leave, thus the near miss photo with the wing just on the right side.  Then I peered out towards the run.

And the door was open.

I went out fully expecting that somewhere in my yard there would be a pile of feathers and a partly eaten chicken.  3 came out from the cedar right next to where the hawk was.  The cedar isn't in the picture but it's immediately to the left and the hawk was sitting on the left side of the frame.  He was not even 15 feet away from them, hiding under the cedar BAWKING at the tops of their lungs.

A quick once over revealed 2 more in the next and one in the coop waiting her turn in the nest.  All chickens accounted for.

Then I started to rack my brains trying to figure out if I forgot to lock them up last night.  I was sure I had.  A phone call to dh reveals that he looked out this morning and saw them sitting by the run door looking insistent so he let them out.  They normally free range all day and I haven't seen a hawk since Steve left last summer (I know they're around).  He made a special trip out there juggling his computer and coffee just to let them out.  

That happened only 20 min before I went downstairs.  They were mortally threatened right off the bat this morning.  Poor things.  

I know free range comes with risk, even in the city.  This was a little too close for comfort!

Funny you mention that b/c in was sitting on my porch on Saturday when something caught the corner of my eye. I looked toward the coop and saw a bird on the swing in the run. Since the girls won't use it, I was surprised. It took me a minute to realize it was a young hawk, just swinging away. I went down with my camera, ending up IN the run with the hawk, him between me and the door. I snapped the photo then shooed him away. The girls were all free ranging, but came running toward the run on full red alert. Bertha had her hackles up and they looked like they were prepared to take him apart.

Such good girls, coming to their mama's rescue. :cd

 

[cheeka]

a colossal double yolker, weighing in at over 4oz because that's the limit of my scale, and it read EEEEEE.

such a beautiful day... we had a great afternoon, and I got lots of pics... it's late and I'm overtired. only 4.5 hours of sleep last night for some reason... so G'Night! I'll try to catch up on the best of the photos tomorrow, we may have rain and no free range...

 

[Mohamed95]

I want a normal babies, that's why I'm not using incubators, but tell now she reached the day 24 and she's still sitting on un-hatched eggs!!


Could she be sitting on unfertilized eggs without knowing ?

And does someone have a way to know if the egg is full of life or not ?

 

[XxMingirlxX]

I want a normal babies, that's why I'm not using incubators, but tell now she reached the day 24 and she's still sitting on un-hatched eggs!!


Could she be sitting on unfertilized eggs without knowing ?

And does someone have a way to know if the egg is full of life or not ?

The Broodie tends to know if there is something wrong with the egg and roll it out. Using incubators doesn't make the eggs 'not normal'.

Use the float test to determine if the eggs are good or not.

 

[cheeka]

Mohamed, if this is her first round of brooding eggs, she may sit on a dud longer than if she had some experience. if you want to do the float test - be quick, if the egg floats, it's still "good", put it back. if it sinks, it's a dud.
most hens will continue to sit for 2 full days after chicks start to hatch. eventually, she will abandon any remaining eggs to care for the chicks she has.

 

[ronott1]

I want a normal babies, that's why I'm not using incubators, but tell now she reached the day 24 and she's still sitting on un-hatched eggs!!


Could she be sitting on unfertilized eggs without knowing ?

And does someone have a way to know if the egg is full of life or not ?

First smell the eggs and then candle them. If they are clear you can tell quickly. Listen for peeps in the eggs.

@24 days they are likely quitters. Pick up a couple of chicks from a local breeder of feed store and stick them under her if so. It is not a good thing for a broody to sit on eggs for too long.

 

[Mohamed95]

I did the floating test and 13 out of 16 floated, so that's a good sign I guess

+ I think that as her first time of being a mother she'll sit more than 21 days because of non good experience of moving the eggs slot under her!