Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Sallysec]

Cute little beagle cheeka, take a ton of pictures, they get big pretty fast. Mine is such a pain in the butt for company usually. We call her Emma, and she is totally people orientated rather than food like my coonhound mix. I candled the eggs, I see veins and 'stuff' in one for sure..it happens to be the olive egger egg. The other eggs just look dark to me. I don't know if I should be worried or not. It is day 11 on my count (the incubator says twelve). None of them smell funny so I am leaving them all in ...especially since I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to candling. I had a nice day with the chickens out all day long. I let them out when my son got on the bus, we did some gardening. Tomorrow if it doesn't rain I want to do some cleaning up etc. They ate frozen blueberries for a treat. I am so happy that all of them look 100% better and that we are getting around 5-6 eggs from the eight girls. I am pretty content with those numbers. I am noticing one chicken in the second coop (J Lo) who seems to be in the nesting box a lot. Should I move her? That coop has four hens and only one box so I am tempted to move them if she wants to go broody. Suggestions?
I have no idea when this little silkie is going to start laying but I honestly will be sad when she leaves the house. I don't even know why I still have her inside...she is at least 16 weeks.

 

[showbarnmom]

I found this today. Pretty Sure it's from my BR. Found one with a much smaller hole last week. Thoughts?!?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I found this today. Pretty Sure it's from my BR. Found one with a much smaller hole last week. Thoughts?!?

I had this happen when too many shavings got kicked out of the box and the egg dropped onto the hard board. The end that drops first is where it's broken and I'd think a chicken pecking an egg that's been laying in the nest would go for the middle. Is the shell thin? Maybe it got cracked a little and someone "investigated" a bit more. Doesn't look like an egg eater.

 

[showbarnmom]

I had this happen when too many shavings got kicked out of the box and the egg dropped onto the hard board.  The end that drops first is where it's broken and I'd think a chicken pecking an egg that's been laying in the nest would go for the middle.  Is the shell thin?  Maybe it got cracked a little and someone "investigated" a bit more.  Doesn't look like an egg eater.

Shell doesn't seem thin. And the piece that cracked is inside the egg. Didn't go through the membrane, so don't think it's an egg eater. However it was in the box with the least hay.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I Can't believe it. I got 5 eggs today. It took almost 2 weeks to get a dozen just a few days ago then this. I changed the girls to ff. Boy what a difference! !!! I am a happy camper.

You will see nothing but good from FF, I have been doing it since last august. No more gagging when I clean poop boards. The eggs get better too.

W4W, glad you're back, and on the mend... nerve pain is so frustrating! the footage from that crash was scary, it is miraculous that so many survived. there was a flight from Greece years ago, #5050 of all numbers... my cousin was supposed to be on that plane, it crashed with no survivors and it was 2 days before we found out she stayed to have more fun! she had no clue that her original flight didn't make it.
can't wait to see pics of all your flock, but particularly the serama's. and ... pics of your vacation, when you have your allotted time... little bits at a time.

anyway, 13 Eggs here today and the Beaglie-Boy was so cute when I came in carrying the eggs. he stood up as though to stand on me, smelled the eggs, and remained on his hind legs, but balanced without touching me or bumping the eggs. Good Dog! His new name will start with "Ch" as that's what he hears the most... I was thinking Chester. there is a common family surname here of Chichester (Ch-eye-chester) figured I could call him that till he picks up on Chester. or Chaz.

all his pictures are blurry. he will not hold still... but he's happy! you can see his tail wagging!


they move so fast... but they are kissing

I just love this! He is so lucky to have landed you as his new Mom!

Hello All! I've been reading this thread to keep up, but posting has been restricted by my "vertebral deficiencies."

Pinched a nerve or something in my neck (before the Hawaii trip) and have been having sciatica type pains down my arm and hand. Riding in the car is rough and the planes seats were downright torturous. Starting to get better, I can raise my elbow above my chin without ibuprofen on board, but sitting (and typing) aggravates it, so I'm on computer restriction.

On the few other threads I follow, there are over 3000 posts I haven't read. Shows me I had been spending waaaaay too much time at the computer.

The chickens made it through the little heat wave we had and we're getting about 6-8 eggs a day. One of the hens is laying shell-less eggs off the roost every couple of days and one is laying very thin shells that usually break in the nest. Trying ACV in the water to see if it helps them absorb the calcium better. My super broody is back at it and had to go into a cage today to try and break her again. I was thinking about getting her some chicks, but am not set up for broody accommodations and one-armed construction is beyond me.

Cheeka, that little beagle is so cute. Always have loved the way they look (and their long silky ears

) but that singleminded running off they do would make me nutso. You should definitely rename him. When Scooter showed up, we tried all sorts of names out. I wanted to call him Harry, because he is, but he came to Scooter right away, so we stuck with that.

The Seramas are still small, but the female's breast has broadened, so she is looking good. Her wattles, face and comb are quite red now and she squatted when I reached in the cage for her this morning. Still refuses the attentions of her very amorous rooster, but maybe she'll lay us an egg soon.

I have to take some new pictures to post. The rooster is quite a flashy fellow.

We went to a family reunion on Sat just south of San Francisco, and got stuck in the traffic near the airport due to the plane crash. We didn't even know it had happened until we listened to the radio to see why the traffic was backing up. Sounded horrendous from the early reports, but so glad there were mostly survivors. Luckily, we had flown in the Wed before, or my phobic teenager would have been sweating it all the way home, if we could even have gotten him on the plane!

Take care of yourself, hope that gets better.

I have grass two feet tall in my garden. I found my cucumbers though! Wanna tell me how to fix this problem?
No! No! I don't want to lose my cucumbers!

ugh, that happened to me one year too, had planted 14 rows, lil bit of everything then DH had surgery unexpectedly.
Hand cleared that whole thing out, one row at a time, and still got squash, melon and a few other goodies. Corn was trashed and the peppers.
The cukes were ok, but very bitter so my goats enjoyed them.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Cute little beagle cheeka, take a ton of pictures, they get big pretty fast. Mine is such a pain in the butt for company usually. We call her Emma, and she is totally people orientated rather than food like my coonhound mix. I candled the eggs, I see veins and 'stuff' in one for sure..it happens to be the olive egger egg. The other eggs just look dark to me. I don't know if I should be worried or not. It is day 11 on my count (the incubator says twelve). None of them smell funny so I am leaving them all in ...especially since I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to candling. I had a nice day with the chickens out all day long. I let them out when my son got on the bus, we did some gardening. Tomorrow if it doesn't rain I want to do some cleaning up etc. They ate frozen blueberries for a treat. I am so happy that all of them look 100% better and that we are getting around 5-6 eggs from the eight girls. I am pretty content with those numbers. I am noticing one chicken in the second coop (J Lo) who seems to be in the nesting box a lot. Should I move her? That coop has four hens and only one box so I am tempted to move them if she wants to go broody. Suggestions?
I have no idea when this little silkie is going to start laying but I honestly will be sad when she leaves the house. I don't even know why I still have her inside...she is at least 16 weeks.

you could get her a diaper and let her be the house chicken.... We kept Butters in all winter

They need plenty of time to adjust to colder weather and don't really handle it well.
Oh and my Silkies at least the young ones, do perch. My lil Fluff perched herself with her best bud princess Diana (OEG) at 3 feet up off the floor!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...hing-eggs-important-topic-index-please-review
First few posts has good candling examples, The hatching 101 is fantastic SallySunshine does an excellent job!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

 

[luvmychicken]

My first white egg!!!! She layed at 21 weeks. Yaaaa

 

[cheeka]

SBMom, I'm with everyone else, it looks like it had a hard landing. some of my girls are hogs when it comes to bedding and they scoot it all to one corner and make themselves a deluxe nest, leaving the others to lay directly on the coop floor. I was never all that close with the flock I had in the 90's to know that they lay and lay until the egg is ready, then the knuckleheads stand up to let it fall to the ground...

Sally, if you want to add her back into the flock, she would fare better if there were 2 other new girls to go with her... I'd be tempted to keep her inside too, having Peach inside was lots of fun... having the 14 December chicks inside was another story... one that I do not intend to relive...

it may be early in the day yet, but I'm pooped! it's been a long one, and hot and sticky to boot. I've gotten 6 eggs so far, and they want to come out so bad but it's going to pour. I need a nap, so I'm taking the dogs and hitting the sack for an hour or two. I'm pretty sure the Beagle is Chester. still hemmin' and hawin' over it...

 

[showbarnmom]

Ty

 

[cheeka]

I am so pleased... recognized it as soon as I saw it... the cover photo for the Mites and Lice highlighted article... is mine.

(article was written in December '12, I remember being asked for permission to use photos, and of course... giving it... but it shows that I don't surf around here much, I pretty much only hang out here)

I actually saw it on Facebook first. I was like... hey... that's my picture! yep... that's my lilac, I remember that day, even tho' it was last fall. so I clicked on the link and sure enough, Pictures by Cheeka... there's one of Betty too... and nice pictures from other people, all credited perfectly... nice article..

14 Eggs today, nothing hatched yet, but tomorrow is the more likely hatch day anyway with Violet being a bit inconsistent towards the end. She's been back in her spot in the apple coop, and several girls are missing neck feathers ~ if they try to lay within reach of Violet, she constantly harasses them, pecking at their necks. Blossom looks a mess... she's missing almost all of her thick Farrah Fawcett style neck feathers. The hatching eggs arrived today, packed individually in air capsules. I'm letting them settle from shipping until tomorrow at least... then I will make the big move and give them to Violet. Hopefully she will do better with these...

Chester/Chewy/ChickityChina is doing so well. he pooped, so he's getting back on schedule with his movements...and he is learning to relax, we took a nice 2 hour nap, Ruby woke up first, nudging me to say "it's suppertime", he would've slept on a bit more... later, he gave a crystal clear signal that he had to go out to pee... so far, so good! I walk him so many times and often he doesn't pee at all. he's so used to being forced to hold it...