Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
WOW high stakes OK, but my vote is to you!

Quote:
Oh my, Its so hard for the kids to understand. Really painful for us too. I free range a LOT a birds. I just can't feel right about confining them nonstop. Its a personal decision we have to make and be willing to accept the losses. I do carry a rifle to protect my flock, but it happens, if they are not caged 24/7. If you don't want loss confine them, but its your final decision what is right for you to do. I lost a very precious gosling this spring that was fenced, and just know she would have escaped if she wasn't confined. Fox, Coyote and Stray dogs will surprise you how well they climb. If I confine a bird, I use electric fence to protect them now.

 

[cheeka]

it was another lovely day on the hilltop. after a mostly relaxing early morning, (had to attack the rats in her hair again...) we headed out around 10:30 to go to the library and then to do some shopping. The library was closed... but we'll go back tomorrow afternoon... at TSC, I got a 3 gallon waterer for the chickens and a front lead/anti pull harness for Chester, and Mylee got a 2 gallon pink bucket and 2 sets of Best Friend toys. each set she picked has dogs, but no duplicates and she was thrilled. we went out to lunch and did some grocery shopping... she was so good... I had one more big errand to run this afternoon, and I thought she'd be too tired, but she wanted to go... it was a fun errand, but it took a long time. We went to my chicken connection, picked up 2 leghorns and 1 EE. we gave her half bushel of broccoli, half bushel of sweet corn and a huge cantaloupe. when we delivered the birds, we got a bushel of red potatoes... we'll share that with her too... and later this week, we will get a bushel of string beans and a bushel of white potatoes, some more melons too... Mylee was very helpful and gentle with the pullets... I thought she'd fall asleep on the ride home, but she's still in the "why?" stage, so we chatted the whole way... she let the gang out when we got home for a little free range - can't believe she didn't crash at all, no behavioral melt downs all day!

we played a rousing game of hide and seek at dusk, we got the neighbors involved - I'm good at hiding... always have been... not a bad seeker either...Mylee likes to hide where I hid the previous round... she's so smart! then we made Bob's Red Mill chocolate chip cookies! now we're both half asleep watching Beauty and the Beast.

10 Eggs today! they are still managing to keep in the double digits!

 

[okallthis4eggs]

FIVE

FIVE....Today We Laid FIVE Eggs

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Quote: Two Weeks Have Passed......7 Days To Go
Got Your Silly Machine.....But I'm A Broody Pro
I Won't Get Up.....You Might Steal Them Or Cheat
Just Turn That Thing Off.....And Admit Defeat.
RK Broody
Not A Chance RK .....I Will Challenge To The End
Now Don't Get Corrupted....By Your BR Friend
You Will Get Your Prize.....Its Pie You Know
But First You Must Win.......There Is Five Days To Go
OK

 

[lindz8504]

Well, I goofed a little bit. I forgot to mark the last egg that I was going to leave under Clarabelle. So, the next day Amelia didn't lay an egg, and then she laid one yesterday. Guess what... I couldn't tell the difference between the two unmarked eggs..... So, I left them both, and hope that she will hatch them both. There are 6 days between the first egg and the last egg under her. I just hope she stays on them long enough for them all to hatch. I did mark them both yesterday, so when there was an extra under her this morning I could tell which one was the new egg. The brooder chicks are officially in the coop now! They have merged with the small cochins pretty well, but still keep to themselves. I am hoping that everyone will start laying in the next few weeks. They have completely stopped cheeping, and most will squat when I touch them. Everyone is getting red in the combs and wattles, and the larger 2 black cochins are actually redder than Amelia and Clarabelle. I got 2 dozen store eggs today, so maybe that will be incentive! LOL

OK- I hope both you and RK Broody have a 100% hatch rate!

Cheeka- Sounds like you are having a blast with Mylee.

 

[showbarnmom]

My chicks are due to hatch Wednesday! And I'm going out of town Thursday :/

 

[Chicklover2246]

...

[/URL] "Hmm... this looks interesting! What did she bring out for us this morning?" Bertha's egg- Fertile? Amelia's egg- Fertile? What did you mix together for them to eat? It looks interesting. Growing up, we were always told that the blood spots in eggs meant those were the fertile eggs. We don't have any roosters and my chickens are in an enclosed run and coop. I had one egg so far that had a blood spot. Anyone know what else it could mean? One hen has been laying for 2 weeks & the other for almost one week. I'm so excited, that both are finally laying in the nesting boxes. YAY!

 

[showbarnmom]

Is this a pip???

They are due to hatch Wednesday. This was the last egg added to the clutch. I moved her yesterday, and went to candle for the last time tonight, and found this! I'm so scared moving her made her crack it. I quickly looked at another and it was all intact.

 

[Chicklover2246]

My chicks are due to hatch Wednesday! And I'm going out of town Thursday :/

Sounds like you need a chick-cam. A home security system hooked up to a dvr, if you have a smartphone, you can view it from your phone, computer or a TV hooked to the dvr.

Good luck!!!

 

[BullChick]

Blood spots don't mean fertile. It means a blood vessel broke, she strained too hard, she is a new layer, an old layer, dead tissue...
Sbm, it looks like she pecked it or her toenail went through it.
I was almost asleep when a sister decided to text me. Sheesh! This late at night!