Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[showbarnmom]

My amercauna is 21 weeks. Why won't she lay?!?! *big pouty face* will a fake egg in the nest encourage?

 

[cheeka]

SBMom, it might help, can't hurt... but Ameracauna, if it's true to breed, are late bloomers. many do not lay before 30 weeks... I'm shocked that I have new layers at only 17 weeks, but to look at them... they look ready... I wonder why this group developed so much faster, if it's the hatchery... or the feed? I fed them a Multi Flock, that is good for chicks to adults of several variety of fowl... this way I didn't have to have lots of bags of feed around to attract mice...
I wore Mylee (and myself) out this afternoon. we made a Dora the Explorer adventure. we climbed the big hills in the backyard, found the white trees and hiked to the big stone wall. it took 2 hours. she was so overtired by 7, she went to bed a bit whiny and cranky. she must have been dreaming hard, I went to check on her and she was talking in her sleep, something about going the wrong way.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Quote: Thanks for the tips W4W. I think I am going to section off part of what I already have to confine the broody and any chicks that might hatch. Then work on the expansion when I get the garden planted. Any expansion will have to be rock solid and predator proof. So far no birds have been lost to any predators and I would like to keep that streak going. Hatching eggs have shipped and should be here tomorrow or Thursday. Have to check the tracking for a update in the morning

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Quote: Thanks all good stuff and good advice. Your tips and advice are greatly appreciated. We have Popeye's too. That works for me.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

no one might literally poop on you... but IMHO, KFC is sh*tty work... but honest work... so I should just shut up.

let her sit on something definitely. then, when the eggs arrive, that night, take the egg and the golf ball away, slip the eggs under her and voila! wait roughly 3 weeks, and see what happens. with Peach, she got off the nest once a day. she ate quickly, drank a bunch... made one enormous poop and went right back. that's it. when the chick hatched, she got up 2ce a day, for 2 days, until she gave up the other 2 eggs. she never pooped in her nest. she only made that one giant poop a day. and I mean GIANT. for such a little bird, it was easily 2ce the size of her eggs. even tho' she is laying again, she is not interested in sitting on them, she is still rearing her chick. I have great new pictures but I'm still getting the error uploading message. very annoying. if I have to, I will set up the lap top tomorrow when I get home from work. then Mylee can play on the desktop too... I am so wiped out... but it is so worth it! seeing Jackson was incredible, watching Dana being such a confident Mother... her son. I could cry...

ETA, Peach would be flatter than a pancake on the nest, it's really cool... good coverage... so if your BO is good and large, she can handle lots of eggs

Giving her the eggs at night? Is that to keep her from getting too upset or excited? And you think she will handle all twelve eggs? Will be hard to wait till dark but if thats best thats what I will do. Thanks I learned something.

 

[cheeka]

I gave Peach her eggs in daylight and she accepted them no problem, it's just what I've read about "major" changes to their nest, dark time is better, or less stressful I guess... you can give her the new eggs anytime, she just might not want you to take the old egg or the golf ball away, and there won't be room for those. if you needed to move her, and really move her... that I would do at night. move her and her whole nest as one if possible. she shouldn't have a clue. but if she can stay put, then all the better. the less you bug her, the better off she'll be, she'll eat and drink, and make football sized poops.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

another spectacular day, and not just weather-wise! it's in the 60's, light breeze, sunny... the mail was on time, and light volume-wise, I was on the road by 9:30, done by 1:45! my record time there is 1:30, and that was kind of a fluke, some of our mail had gone to the wrong office. anyway, I zipped home, Mylee was outside running around, so happy to see me as she can only visit the birds from the outside when I'm not home. I moved the injured white gal in with Peach and the chick. Peach was none too happy, but she's leaving Ms. White alone. I need names for these birds, I asked Mylee to name them, she's still thinking about it I guess...lol

sooooooooo... I go on the search for eggs. first, there is Peach's perfect little blue egg... and 5 in the dark corner of the dome. when I get into the sunshine, there is something very unusual. I have one cream egg, Barred Rock... and what...?... wait... Two blue eggs and Two green eggs???

I HAVE NEW LAYERS! 17 weeks old! I have no idea who, maybe I have 4 new layers, or 3 or 2... Isis lays a much larger egg, I think I have 2 new blue egg layers, and 1 new green egg layer, the other green egg looks a lot like Blu's egg... but I don't know, either way

this is just so cool!

AWESOME!!

Quote: OH YUMMMM Popeyes!!! We only have like 2 left here

 

[BullChick]

Stupid chicks!! I went to TSC yesterday to go to the bathroom. We were out on the bike. Long ride, bathrooms are few and far between. I HAD to stop there!
So what happens? 10 chicks strapped themselves to the back of the bike!!

I never wanted more than 30 birds. I had 27 before that, and TSC makes you buy six. It is obvious that I didn't want more chicks!
I ended up with 6 Wyandottes (look gold to me) and 3 White Rocks. I tried for pullets. The 10th one was another Leghorn. She was the tiniest in a center bin of older pullets. They pulled her out bloody, and applied the BlueKote. I took her to give her a chance. She died a few hours later.
And in all seriousness, like 4 weeks ago, the chicks rode home between DH and I with a jacket keeping the wind out, and the heat in. The fact that it was in the 80's, and the trip was shorter was another bonus. Chicks on the bike is taken seriously.

Just so ya know I am not freezing them.
OK, ... I forget. Something about the broody. I will think of it, and post later.
I also have forgotten everything else I was gonna say. Huh.
Oh! I may be getting an incubator next week! You know? Because I don't want more chickens! And one of the Wyandottes was standing there, and squatted. I knew what was coming, but I lost it when it was accompanied by a squirt sound!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Stupid chicks!! I went to TSC yesterday to go to the bathroom. We were out on the bike. Long ride, bathrooms are few and far between. I HAD to stop there!
So what happens? 10 chicks strapped themselves to the back of the bike!!

I never wanted more than 30 birds. I had 27 before that, and TSC makes you buy six. It is obvious that I didn't want more chicks!
I ended up with 6 Wyandottes (look gold to me) and 3 White Rocks. I tried for pullets. The 10th one was another Leghorn. She was the tiniest in a center bin of older pullets. They pulled her out bloody, and applied the BlueKote. I took her to give her a chance. She died a few hours later.

Alright, so they have a 6 chick minimum and you go home with 10?

The real question is not whether you want more adorable fluffy tiny sweet little cheepers (Who wouldn't?), it's whether you want more big loud obnoxious feed-consuming poop-producing squabbling chickens! Can't blame you for trying to rescue the poor little Leghorn, though.

Quote:
"OK, ... I forget. Something about the broody. I will think of it, and post later.
I also have forgotten everything else I was gonna say. Huh."

Oh dear. I have heard of Mommy-brain, where new moms have difficulty with remembering things, but you are suffering from something else entirely. It's a disease that is frequently seen on BYC, though is under-reported. It starts with Chicken Math, then moves on to impulsive chick purchases, and interest in new and rare breeds that the patient just has to have. This is followed by the acquisition of a small incubator which will be replaced by a much larger incubator within 2 years. (In extreme cases, the incubator will hold 500 hatching eggs.) All of this is accompanied by denial that there is even a problem "Because I don't want more chickens!" and occasional delirium "but I lost it when it was accompanied by a squirt sound!"

You, my dear MC, are in the beginning stages of Hatchaholism. Even though it's been diagnosed early, there is no cure, and management strategies include increasing physical activity (building lots of coops) and extensive use of BYC to support your habit. Because really, we all know that that's what BYC is all about-- enabling!

We'll be here for you, MC!

 

[Sallysec]

Hey guys a quick question....I had someone laying white eggs for a few days...and then it just stopped. I say someone now because one of my chicks has been identified as possibly being a white egg layer. So I knew I had only one bird ordered that would lay white eggs + this mystery chicken....so I think I know who was laying but one never knows...now all of a sudden no one is laying a white egg....this entire week. Should I be concerned? I picked up one of the girls and checked her out and she looks fine acts normal. The other one is just too skittish and fast and I don't want to freak her out even more for me to try and corner her to handle her. So I started to think if I had changed anything...not really ...more natural light and outside time. I hunted around for an egg outside the pen thinking maybe she was hiding it during her free time. nope....so today I basically kept them in for the second day to see if she would lay one...nada.

Suggestions? should i just not be concerned?