Surviving Minnesota!

[holm25]

Ralphie, have you tried hot sauce on some eggs to break the egg eaters ?  Don't know if it works as I have never had to resort to it.  Knock on wood, I have not had a dedicated egg eater.  If an egg gets broken it will likely be eaten, but have not had a hen with the habit ?

Don't know about a visit to Sweden or Norway, as they both have big problems with Muslim immigrants ?  I hate to say it, but at this point I think that Finland might be the best choice.  Don't tell any of the resident Finlander's that I said that, or I will never hear the end of it !

The time is approaching when I will consider getting chicks started.  Consequently any chick photos are no longer an annoyance to me.  Holms, was the last calf the right color?  

Ed it is the right color lol! This cow raises a whopper of s steer so should be fun to see him grow. I should just saying calves will be nice cuz they all seem to raise nice calves except one cow always raises a smaller calf... But shes a tiny cow...

 

[Siggie]

Morning everyone! @Bogtown Chick Ha Ha... yea...the first thing we check is their butts and poop!

So now that I have two broodies sitting on a PILE of eggs....if they all should survive to adulthood, I'm gonna need a bigger coop!

So.....I was told that the broody hens know when an egg is not viable and they roll them out of their nest? Any opinions on this? I ask because last night my first broody hen rolled an egg out and when I candled it, it was clear inside. The shell was shiny and smooth so I know she had it for a while but I will chuck it because I don't know just how long it was under her before she rolled it out. Anybody else have this experience?

Got another (probably dumb) question...I was also told that when a hen hatches eggs instead of using an incubator, the hen to rooster ratio leans more toward hens, is this another myth with chickens or does anyone notice this to be true when they let broodies hatch their eggs?

 

[holm25]

Siggie the hen to rooster thing is a myth. My first hatch ever from a broody had 5 chicks and all were roosters lol. Except for ducks... I have never hatched a drake before... Only hens lol

 

[BantyChooks]

Morning everyone!  @Bogtown Chick
  Ha Ha... yea...the first thing we check is their butts and poop! 

So now that I have two broodies sitting on a PILE of eggs....if they all should survive to adulthood, I'm gonna need a bigger coop!

So.....I was told that the broody hens know when an egg is not viable and they roll them out of their nest? Any opinions on this?  I ask because last night my first broody hen rolled an egg out and when I candled it, it was clear inside.  The shell was shiny and smooth so I know she had it for a while but I will chuck it because I don't know just how long it was under her before she rolled it out.  Anybody else have this experience?

Got another (probably dumb) question...I was also told that when a hen hatches eggs instead of using an incubator, the hen to rooster ratio leans more toward hens, is this another myth with chickens or does anyone notice this to be true when they let broodies hatch their eggs?

Nope. Still get more boys than girls with my broodies...

 

[MinnesotaNice]

My ducks and chickens both roll eggs out of their nest that are no good. My ducks will sit on up to 25 eggs, so it amazes me how they can get that one egg out of their nest and to the other end of the run.

I don't really know on the other question. I've heard some people say it has to do with the egg itself, brooding or incubator temperature, the age of the rooster, the age of the hen, and on and on. I hatched 23 eggs not too long ago. 7 were females. When I hatched out 23 marans, about half were females. It may just be plain luck.

 

[lvie]

Phew - I go away for a short time and there you guys are - banging out the threads.

 

[lvie]

I did read either on the Chicken Chick or Fresh Eggs daily about the hen rolling out the unfertilized egg. That could be construed as a female efficiency thing. One more way to prove that women/females are um . . . more productive than say, the roosters, at getting the deed done. IDK.

MNNice - thanks for the feed back on the shell-less eggs. I have begun a chart to keep track of who lays and what day. Yesterday was 14 eggs and no shell-less. So egg count is UP and she seems to lay okay.

I move the four hens that are all two years old into a coop with Reggie (he is so docile and sweet and they enjoy the break from Copper, that young, veril male roo).Besides the BA who is coming out of a molt all four of the girls are laying.

That leaves 13 hens, seven that are entering their second year, in the large coop with Copper. They are each capable of laying. Not everyone of them are stepping up to the nest box. We will see how that continues.

Then there is the new hospital coop for Regina and Ruby. Ruby is recovering, feathering out. I need to check her vent because I wonder if I will ever get eggs from her again. She actually belongs in with the older girls and Reggie. When she is feathered out I will see if they will accept her.

I am going to try to fake Regina out with some eggs in the nesting box to find out if she will give me some pretty blue eggs.

Holm - a star and the right color! IMHO that will be the best!

Jerryse - I am a little disappointed in you although I knew it all along. Such an Eyore and then the moment the sun pops - there you go, all smiles and happy like to play and just leave us behind. Hopefully we will hear from you tonight.

 

[Siggie]

UGH!

reference the hen/rooster ratio thing with broodies. Well in any case at least I have somebody who will take the roosters and butcher them for themselves. Call me whatever you want but I had the hardest time butchering my 9 roosters last year...it is just not my thing. It's not that I don't eat the meat, because I do ... I just can't do the killing/cleaning part.

I thought it was kind of cool to see her roll that egg out...isn't it funny how animals know these things, it just amazes me.

 

[MNChickMom]

Couple of pictures of lone Ranger. He is son of one of ralphies. He will soon be going through boot camp with daughter next week. (This is technically my son's rooster, but he has agreed to 4 days of chores in exchange for his sister to tame lone ranger.)
Lone Ranger is about 10 weeks old. Good luck to both lone Ranger and daughter.

 

[holm25]

I have to get pics of the three new babies later... One is a Baldy, one is red and them the little star faced one.