Surviving Minnesota!

[NathanZee]

Pick more than one!!

Maybe I can line them all up in a row.

 

[psladky]

Oh I do like the look of the British girls.

Welcome to the Surviving MN thread. You so belong here @psladky . Because you ARE in the Ice Box of Minnesota.
I have a broody that hatches eggs for me and I get chicks when I need them. I practice as much restraint as I can with Chicken Math.

I do not squirrel lumber away for coops so my spouse does not see it, etc.

(Ralphie)

I've convinced the husband since we are so tucked away up here, we can provided the area with chicks We had a great broody silkie but she passed Hoping someone else steps up, nothing like having a mama raise them up

 

[psladky]

We just have muscovys now.

Psladky what kind of ducks do u have??

We just have muscovys now. We love them

 

[holm25]

We just have muscovys now.
We just have muscovys now. We love them

Awesome!! A fellow Muscovy lovers!! What colors do u have?!!

 

[holm25]

Maybe I can line them all up in a row.

But you have to be in the pic with them!! I should have said selfie with your favorite bird!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

So tell me about a Broody Hen. I think that would be fun. Ma Ma takes care of it all. They need a separate area to survive right? I could do that. DH will faint but when I get him up off the ground he would adjust. LOL.

Broody Hens are truly where it's at. there are pros and cons.

Pros:
No Heat Lamp, No risk of fire. Perfect temp always.
Perfect humidity at "lock down" time.
Just as mother nature had intended...babies with a mother's attention and love and care.
Babies learn foraging techniques and predator wariness ...early on.
Momma teaches drinking and eating every step of the way.
Broody Momma's --even at bantam size are a force to be reckoned with even with larger fowl in the vicinity.

Cons:
Momma sets up shop in the favorite nest box. You should move her to her own space.
#1 for privacy and no interruptions to break her broodiness.
#2 to avoid extra donations to her egg pile
She will begin to not leave the nest to do her broody poo after a while. So it's on you to clear that away once a day.
Food and water next to her while she sets. (not a big deal)
Building of her own broody coop
The babies are not as "socialized" to the food lady as other brooder chicks would be
A hen that may be just a bit thinner afterwards.
Pest-prone

I would say seeing Mother Nature at work is a beautiful thing and you have to do it just once if given an opportunity. Some people swear by it. I see the pros and cons of both.

 

[lvie]

I have one RIR, Ruby, that gets really mad if she is in the nesting box and I bother her by even looking at her. But she lays and then leaves and then is fine. Would she be likely to go broody? And what happens when the hen is the RIR and the roo is the BPR? Do I get crazy chicks?

 

[lvie]

Awesome!! A fellow Muscovy lovers!! What colors do u have?!!

Holms - you have a new friend!

 

[psladky]

Will u drive to places to do testing?? Or do peopke brimg birds to you?? I am going to need testing done on some Muscovys and Buckeyes this summer for 4h.

I would drive to the person

 

[holm25]

I would drive to the person

Awesome!!