Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[lindz8504]

Gotta love them!

 

[cheeka]

lol...

I'm up way too late... ah such is... and it's raining, lightly... but still, it will create opportunity for more melting! most of the plowed chicken yard has soggy wet brown grass showing in spots between large ice patches. the dome got a fresh load of straw, which they organized perfectly into a brand new thick dry floor to combat the mud that will come with the melt... the back pen is on a higher point so it doesn't really get wet inside... had a little free range today, and spotted the last of the new pullets really nesting, no egg from her today, but it's coming! and weeks ahead of my prediction.
oh, and Cressa has two eggs to try and hatch.





30 miinutes to turn that bale into a perfect floor

Dutch. Master Nest Builder. he created 3 perfect swirls in 30 minutes

(Gretel)

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Your chickens all look so beautiful and healthy! They do like to keep busy, don't they? Love little Dutch. I have a soft spot for the little guys. Today my Serama cockerel was calling and feeding the cuckoo Orp. Biggest and smallest I have.


Mo doesn't seem to understand he's so tiny.

 

[chickenlindz]

Well Phyllis laid her first egg (or torpedo) of the year... Probably in the last 6 months if she's honest w me.

Ahh baby fever! I love playing w babies... And then giving them back.

 

[ChristieB]

All you ladies with baby fever should become doulas! The miracle of birth without doing it yourself!! My 3rd just turned 6 months, I think I'm complete, but I have a feeling I'll get the itch around 30, because I'm a glutton for punishment!!

Reason I came is to vent my impatience, my little pekin Cho has been red for weeks, and nothing, 23 weeks old so surely she can't hold out much longer. Cho and Ginny are the eldest of my girls but I'm at the point where I reckon the Sussex will probably lay first, they are about 18 weeks but combs are still small and light

 

[ronott1]

All you ladies with baby fever should become doulas! The miracle of birth without doing it yourself!! My 3rd just turned 6 months, I think I'm complete, but I have a feeling I'll get the itch around 30, because I'm a glutton for punishment!!

Reason I came is to vent my impatience, my little pekin Cho has been red for weeks, and nothing, 23 weeks old so surely she can't hold out much longer. Cho and Ginny are the eldest of my girls but I'm at the point where I reckon the Sussex will probably lay first, they are about 18 weeks but combs are still small and light

The average for all breeds is about 22 weeks. It is an average though. Point of Lay is between 18 and 30 weeks usually.

I hope you get eggs soon!

 

[mortie]

All you ladies with baby fever should become doulas! The miracle of birth without doing it yourself!! My 3rd just turned 6 months, I think I'm complete, but I have a feeling I'll get the itch around 30, because I'm a glutton for punishment!!

Reason I came is to vent my impatience, my little pekin Cho has been red for weeks, and nothing, 23 weeks old so surely she can't hold out much longer. Cho and Ginny are the eldest of my girls but I'm at the point where I reckon the Sussex will probably lay first, they are about 18 weeks but combs are still small and light

Sounds like you might have a couple more weeks to wait. I HATE WAITING lol. Especially for eggs.

Sounds like my Hedwig would fit right in with your crew....

 

[savannahm0m]

All you ladies with baby fever should become doulas! The miracle of birth without doing it yourself!! My 3rd just turned 6 months, I think I'm complete, but I have a feeling I'll get the itch around 30, because I'm a glutton for punishment!!

Reason I came is to vent my impatience, my little pekin Cho has been red for weeks, and nothing, 23 weeks old so surely she can't hold out much longer. Cho and Ginny are the eldest of my girls but I'm at the point where I reckon the Sussex will probably lay first, they are about 18 weeks but combs are still small and light

I probably shouldn't take this moment to say that my Polish waited a YEAR to start laying. Fortunately, the other girls started laying at about 25 weeks.

 

[mortie]

So ladies, I'm going to throw some newb questions your way. Here we go.

This morning, Midge growled and bit me when I opened the nest box and petted her while she was inside. I have not heard her growl since she was broody before, even though I have bothered her on the nest many times. I put an egg next to her and she ignored it unti I shut the lid, then she tucked it in. I put her on the ground and she sat there for a few seconds, then ran off toward the run door. When I let her in, she went right up into the coop again (she was in the favorite nest so someone had jumped in there during the minute or so she was gone lol). I left her alone then and went in the house. A half hour later she came out and is now out with the others in the run. She did lay today. I know she did not sleep in the box.

I was planning on incubating some eggs for a friend starting a week from today. I have also told myself that maybe if someone went broody I would let her sit and hatch them herself, in order to be able to watch a mom with chicks because it's so darn cute and also to eliminate the stress I personally feel when incubating eggs and thermometers and thermostats and temps and humidity...oh the stress! Just let the bird do it, right?

So here are my questions. Starting with I'm not even sure she's going to go broody. She might but she didn't stay in the nest this morning. Last time it took her about a week or goofing off and sitting in there for progressively longer times before she went full on. So she might not be. Moving on. I don't really have the setup where I can separate her. If I were to let her sit, she would more or less have to stay in the coop. I could separate them possibly if/when chicks hatch but I can't really keep midge by herself right now. I do have a little pen I could use but for the most part she has to stay in the coop because it's just too cold and bringing her in the house is not an option.

This brings me to my next point. How cold is too cold to hatch chicks? These boogers, if we do this, will hatch the first week of April. It'll probably still be in the 40s then and possibly colder. It will still drop below freezing regularly, and frost is a given. I know mom keeps them warm but is that took cold? I don't plan on keeping them for a long time. I'd basically be giving my friend her chicks as soon as she can take them. Maybe I'd leave a couple with her for a bit longer but I can't have more chickens where I'm at now so at a fairly young age the chicks would have to go.

Is that mean? Will she be sad?

Sorry for all the questions. The broody stuff is new to me. If I was putting them in the bator, I'd know just what to do.

 

[ronott1]

So ladies, I'm going to throw some newb questions your way. Here we go.

This morning, Midge growled and bit me when I opened the nest box and petted her while she was inside. I have not heard her growl since she was broody before, even though I have bothered her on the nest many times. I put an egg next to her and she ignored it unti I shut the lid, then she tucked it in. I put her on the ground and she sat there for a few seconds, then ran off toward the run door. When I let her in, she went right up into the coop again (she was in the favorite nest so someone had jumped in there during the minute or so she was gone lol). I left her alone then and went in the house. A half hour later she came out and is now out with the others in the run. She did lay today. I know she did not sleep in the box.

I was planning on incubating some eggs for a friend starting a week from today. I have also told myself that maybe if someone went broody I would let her sit and hatch them herself, in order to be able to watch a mom with chicks because it's so darn cute and also to eliminate the stress I personally feel when incubating eggs and thermometers and thermostats and temps and humidity...oh the stress! Just let the bird do it, right?

So here are my questions. Starting with I'm not even sure she's going to go broody. She might but she didn't stay in the nest this morning. Last time it took her about a week or goofing off and sitting in there for progressively longer times before she went full on. So she might not be. Moving on. I don't really have the setup where I can separate her. If I were to let her sit, she would more or less have to stay in the coop. I could separate them possibly if/when chicks hatch but I can't really keep midge by herself right now. I do have a little pen I could use but for the most part she has to stay in the coop because it's just too cold and bringing her in the house is not an option.

This brings me to my next point. How cold is too cold to hatch chicks? These boogers, if we do this, will hatch the first week of April. It'll probably still be in the 40s then and possibly colder. It will still drop below freezing regularly, and frost is a given. I know mom keeps them warm but is that took cold? I don't plan on keeping them for a long time. I'd basically be giving my friend her chicks as soon as she can take them. Maybe I'd leave a couple with her for a bit longer but I can't have more chickens where I'm at now so at a fairly young age the chicks would have to go.

Is that mean? Will she be sad?

Sorry for all the questions. The broody stuff is new to me. If I was putting them in the bator, I'd know just what to do.

It is best to wait two weeks before setting eggs under her. 40 is fine for hatching chicks. She will keep the eggs and the chicks plenty warm.

If you do not want chicks and you know of someone that has some, wait two weeks and slip a couple of chicks under her. She will switch from broody to Mom within two days and then you can take the chicks away from her.

It is not traumatic for the hen. Hens lose chicks all the time in nature so it is built into them. She will go back to laying in 4 to 6 weeks after that.