Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Chaneys Ranch]

Last time it only took 3 partial days in the cage to break Poppy of her broodiness. This is the 3rd time this summer, and she is too thin. Considered getting some eggs for her to hatch, but I don't have an easy place to keep her with chicks.


Speaking of chicks, here are the new Serama girls in the ground cage we built last week. They are much happier now.






4 x 8' and both sides of the top are hinged to open. Keeping the far side covered for some shade.

Looks good, really fast build too I bet.

Quote:

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

3 chicken eggs today.

Wow whats up with that?!?

Ha Ha Sally! that BR is Queen of the Whole Yard with that move! and I love the family portrait, that sullen look is common, there are 100's of pictures in my families album of scowling, frowning kids, more of me than anyone else. probably because of the dress I was forced to wear or making me stand next to my brother... lol

Countdown to Mylee is within 30 minutes!! camera battery is charged and the memory card emptied, ready to fill it up!!!


http://youtu.be/8LVN5lkQQ78 Coral...


10 Eggs so far

Bet she is so excited!

Road Kill broody. Not the best picture but when she is turned long ways you can see both of her mangled wings and her entire bare back. She is not moving for anybody or anything.

Ugh looks like poor Mabel. I had to separate her, the roos will not leave her alone.

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yep so true

You are blessed with an adorable family

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I would like your opinions. We got some bantams this spring and they should start laying in another few weeks or so. Some have told us their eggs are too small to eat, and other people say it just takes more of them. What do you all think. The bantams we got are EEs, Welsummers, and Silkies. So, will we be able to eat the eggs, or will they be too small?

Thanks and have a great night.

you can eat all of their eggs.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Do you see what I see? MY FIRST EGG!!!

Here comes Henrietta back in the coop after I got her first egg...

I am sooooo excited!!! And it's a good size too! I feel like a little kid looking for Easter eggs every day, anticipating the find, today I finally got the rush, it's here, it's here, it's here! Woo hoo Henrietta! You go girl! Now I'm doing the egg dance!

Congrats! Its so exciting!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

She's been very busy at her new Vanity... she's grown so much!



most of the time, I photographed the back of her head... and I have lots of distance shots.

the sun coming in and the lights on the vanity way overexposed it... but I like this picture...

she just woke up from her nap, after a little chocolate milk, we'll go out and get pictures with the chickens

Oh she is just precious. She has sure grown!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I broke down, and tried some of the pickles I canned. They are good. Glad I did theis!
After mowing today, I walked over to the big pen. I looked, and looked again. I have another rooster!

I swear it was a hen yesterday! It is a White Rock. I only know it is a rooster because of the flowing tail. Darn it! So now I need to figure out what to do with him. I think the couple that took care of my mean rooster last year would like him. If not for making meat birds, as a meat bird. This is the couple that the guy takes veterans fishing. I know the white feathers are sought after.
8 eggs. Probably due to the mowing.

LOL! The dog is eating pickles. He kinda likes them, but he seems to not know what to do about the salty sour taste.

I love pickles!!!! Thats too funny, my pug is afraid of them!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

SBMom, those eggs are gorgeous. Usually the blue doesn't show up so well in the pictures, so those must be quite brilliant.

Cheeka, love Mylee's photo album, especially the pic showing the rooster quarters taken from Mylee height. Gives a good view of your set up. The best pic is the self portrait ala Kilroy.

Our donkeys used to love eating those type of thistles. Are they still called sticker-bushes back east? When I first moved to Calif, none of the kids knew what I was talking about when I said sticker-bushes. Had to learn to call them blackberries and thistles.

7 eggs today and one that got broken on the nest. Have started D3 supplements for Freckle, the gold sexlink, who has been laying very thin shelled eggs for some time now, and got an egg from her yesterday that I was lucky enough to find before anyone had time to crush it in the nest... very fragile shell. The BO seems to have stopped laying entirely. I picked her up today and she's a tank, so the extra weight makes me think she's laying internally.

Nothing we can do for her, so just gonna let her live out her life for as long as she goes.

School starts on Thursday. Mustacheio met all of his teachers today and figured out how to get his locker open. He's got some excellent teachers and looks like it will be a great year for him.

Hate to see the kids back to school. but the extra activities is good character building and fun!.

Two! Blue eggs waiting for me today! Ahhhh!!!! I'm so excited! I've got 3 blue layers, and have only been getting 1 every 3 days. Maybe thing 1 & 2 are finally finishing up molting!

WOW they are sooo blue!!

Had to edit, realized half my post was missing! guess I fell asleep again

 

[okallthis4eggs]

SBMom- I have blues and blacks too! I can't wait to see the eggs? Were the hatching eggs really dark?? I'm not sure if you are familiar with sexing them, but I was told one way is how quickly they feather out. Girls are first, boys are slow. Hope you get lots of girls! If you need any boys, I have 10! I would love to send you some

I got 3 eggs today! It is awesome, but now I am not sure who is laying! I thought for sure it was the NH's but two of the eggs are light. Next closest in age are blue egg layers, then the BR's are only 3 months old. I think that is too early for them? Two were on the floor and one was in the next box! It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings!

Question for those of you that free range. I have a large stand of cedar trees at the back of my chicken run. The chickens always run into that area instead of going into their nice, safe run. So far, the only daylight attack critters are over head. They can run into the treed area for cover. Should I worry about them? It is becoming more and more difficult to get them out of there when I have to leave, but I don't want to come back to a pile of feathers! I prepare two bowls of treats (Pie!) every morning and have the flock follow me to the run, but once something catches their eye, they are off in another direction!

For some reason I cannot post the pictures of the eggs and the shot showing the distance from my coop to the run, maybe tomorrow!

Safe place is in the run. Free range you will lose a chicken or chickens sooner or later. Cedars help to stop flying predators but make it easier for the ground based predators to sneek in close for a quick grab. You have to decide if its worth it or not to you.

 

[luvmychicken]

Speaking of lifetime commitments, I am giving away my 4 CL roosters tomorrow to a friends dad that is going to eat them (good thing I named them Piccata, Marsala, Kiev, and Parmesan!).  So this is the first time for me doing this.  I know others process them and send them to freezer camp.  I know it will get easier to do, since I never thought I would do it at all and now I am.  But am I the only one that feels so darn guilty??

I do the rooster processing weekly and it doesn't get easier. Its part of it. Some are my first hatched and it upsets me a lot. They trust me. I do this because I want to know what my family is eating.

24 weeks and still 5 girls not laying. Patients starting to wear thin. I Guess they are late bloomers.

What breed, heritage are pretty slow.

Yep, I am going to eat it as soon as I have a couple more.  I have some bacon just waiting to join them!

I saved my bacon slabs from our first hog, will cold smoke once the temps stay below 45 degrees.

Now its 25 weeks. And they are EE.

 

[showbarnmom]

SBMom- I have blues and blacks too! I can't wait to see the eggs? Were the hatching eggs really dark?? I'm not sure if you are familiar with sexing them, but I was told one way is how quickly they feather out. Girls are first, boys are slow. Hope you get lots of girls! If you need any boys, I have 10! I would love to send you some

I got 3 eggs today! It is awesome, but now I am not sure who is laying! I thought for sure it was the NH's but two of the eggs are light. Next closest in age are blue egg layers, then the BR's are only 3 months old. I think that is too early for them? Two were on the floor and one was in the next box! It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings!

Question for those of you that free range. I have a large stand of cedar trees at the back of my chicken run. The chickens always run into that area instead of going into their nice, safe run. So far, the only daylight attack critters are over head. They can run into the treed area for cover. Should I worry about them? It is becoming more and more difficult to get them out of there when I have to leave, but I don't want to come back to a pile of feathers! I prepare two bowls of treats (Pie!) every morning and have the flock follow me to the run, but once something catches their eye, they are off in another direction!

For some reason I cannot post the pictures of the eggs and the shot showing the distance from my coop to the run, maybe tomorrow!

I free range in a treed area. We have hawks occasionally but have not had an issue.

You can see the trees behind the beast and his minions. I worry, but would rather have super happy healthy chickens than keeping them in their run. It has no grass. Our main predators are at night. So I have ft Knox coop 2.0.

These are the eggs they hatched from I was really hoping they might be feather sexable.

Because if so I have 3 pullets. Woohoo! Knowing my luck though I've got 4 Roos