Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Sallysec]

Yeah I will keep them in, I am surprised. I did my last check for Ethel at 9PM and she wasn't there. I kind of gave up. My husband went looking into the wooded area across the street from us in case she hopped the fence and decided to cross the road

.

We were just talking yesterday about how everyone else has adventurous chickens and ours are too lazy to even go into the garden which only has like a three foot fence. Lucy on the swingset was the highest we have ever seen anyone...and she climbed the ladder.

So my eggs are scheduled to be here tomorrow but I am nervous because tracking says they are still in Florida. Also we finally had an architect out here on Saturday and another is coming tomorrow with an estimator. It looks like my kitchen will finally be bigger. Also my husband and I are talking about adding five or so fruit trees in the back yard and some blackberries/raspberry/blueberry bushes. I have two blueberries already which have borne no fruit even with two species. Sooooooooo big projects to tackle in the next year. Did i mention the shed coop?

from last years 'honey do' list.

I think I am going to have to resort to keeping chickens in the house again to get THAT rolling...


SB Mom I need a pancake chicken.

MC good luck with the head count.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Just curious what type hawks do you all think is carrying your chickens away? Around here in Kentucky the largest hawk I ever see is a Red Tailed Hawk. Also known as a "chicken hawk" and they rarely prey on full size chickens. They are quite small compared to a large fowl chicken. Eating a full size chicken would mean consuming at least twice its body weight and then it would have to fly away without leaving any evidence. My point is I think we might be looking at the wrong predators in some of these cases. Hope this helps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk

 

[cheeka]

yeah, the hawks we have are small... the eagles on the other hand... golden and bald... we have both, but the bald usually stay lower down the mountain, nearer the bigger bodies of water. the golden eagles could snatch a medium sized chicken - I watched one swoop down and take a squirrel, it looked like a snack between it's talons... we have falcons too, which can get to a decent size, but it's mostly the fox and coyote here that steal chickens. I hope you didn't lose anyone MC.

I've got 2 new to me bantam roos. One is a OEG, the other I have to research some. he's a Dutch something. quite beautiful, but I only got a few pics yesterday, not the greatest as Mylee was crowding them some.

 

[Sallysec]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Ethel is back! I went out throughout the night, was dreaming about her when I woke up today....didn't see her. Just now I went outside and just sat there for awhile with the dogs....I was scanning the yard from the porch and I noticed her walking the fence line of the neighbors house...So happy.

 

[chirpingcricket]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Ethel is back! I went out throughout the night, was dreaming about her when I woke up today....didn't see her. Just now I went outside and just sat there for awhile with the dogs....I was scanning the yard from the porch and I noticed her walking the fence line of the neighbors house...So happy.

 

[MalMom]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Ethel is back! I went out throughout the night, was dreaming about her when I woke up today....didn't see her. Just now I went outside and just sat there for awhile with the dogs....I was scanning the yard from the porch and I noticed her walking the fence line of the neighbors house...So happy.

I'm very happy for you, and Ethel!!!

 

[lindz8504]

Wow I have lots of catching up to do! And I will, but it may take me a day or two!

Anyway, here in my coop, I have lots of changes to catch up on as well! The hubby said he got 2 large eggs one morning after he didn't get a large the day before, so either Bertha laid 2 or apparently one of the G.Comets have started laying maybe ( they are around 14 weeks I think)? I am also thinking that maybe the 2 bigger black cochins have started laying as well. In 11 days Hubby has filled a 18 count carton and over half of a dozen carton, with 15 being small eggs and then another 8 large eggs plus my friend took home 4 eggs that she got while she was here letting them out the first few days. I think we only have 3 layers and one of them have gone broody sometime in the past 4 days, so that seems like alot of eggs in just 11 days out of 3 hens!!!! What do you think?

So, Clarabelle has decided that since everyone on here has a broody, I needed one as well! So she is poofed out in the nesting box, and Hubby says she has been there 3-4 days! Do you all think it is too late for her to hatch some eggs? I thought about leaving 4-5 under her, but wasn't sure since it was getting late in the year!

All of my younger girls have started getting really red in the combs and wattles, so maybe it won't be too long now! The grey/lavender cochin has fully feathered now and is beautiful, and the other cochins have gotten a little bigger too! My 3 little chicks in the brooder coop have gotten quite a bit bigger and have feathered out very surprisingly! It looks like one is going to be a silver mottled cochin and the other 2 look to be golden mottled, but not quite sure yet. And I seem to have one Cockerel and 2 Pullets!

So, that is pretty much the rundown of what has happened here since I have been gone.

 

[cheeka]

lindz, hatch away... there is still time for one more roundup before the weather changes... and the thing about laying... because it's a 25 hour period... it can appear that someone has laid multiple eggs in a day, but it's more likely that she laid her egg after the last check the day before, and it was found in the morning, then when she lays again later in the day... it appears that 2 eggs were laid in one day...

I have 8 eggs so far, and Blu got into some tussle, she has a broken feather shaft that has pumped out a quantity of bright red blood. it had started clotting which is good, so, cleaned it up, it didn't bleed more, and applied blue-kote.

Sally! such wonderful news! so unlikely and I'm so happy for both you and Ethel. sure wish Vi would have reappeared, not going to happen, she disappeared on July 31... even if she was sitting on a hidden nest somewhere, it's been 3 weeks.

little OEG is feisty with all the other boys except the one he came with, he's got a slightly bloody comb from sparring with one of the feather footed fellas, so he's locked back up in his pen til later.

 

[lindz8504]

lindz, hatch away... there is still time for one more roundup before the weather changes... and the thing about laying... because it's a 25 hour period... it can appear that someone has laid multiple eggs in a day, but it's more likely that she laid her egg after the last check the day before, and it was found in the morning, then when she lays again later in the day... it appears that 2 eggs were laid in one day...

Thats what I thought too until he said they were both there first thing in the morning..... Guess we will just be watching everyone and waiting to see what happens! I think I am going to leave some bantam eggs under Clarabelle. She is a very small chicken, so would you recommend 4-5 or how many?

 

[cheeka]

first time broody who's small... bantam eggs are smaller... you could stick with say 5, and probably hatch 3-4 if not all five, but if the eggs are really small, I bet she could cover 9 easily. they pancake more than you realize... and can cover a lot of space. Peach, is bantam, and she can easily cover 5 XL LF eggs. totally up to you and Ms Broody