The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[mlowen]

Leigh has pictures of the chick that hatched from the broken egg! She named it "Humpty Dumpty!" SO cute!!

 

[RedRidge]

Quote:
If I was buying goats I'd have a MUCH bigger concern about purchasing from a CL free herd... good luck finding one of those...

 

[armorfirelady]

So I have a question.....do hens eggs size grow larger even after they are a year old? I went to collect eggs width: 200px; height: 149px">
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I'm thinking Lucy started laying. She has red combs

I found out who Lucy's mother is.  It's a black EE hen that looks remarkably like the BCM but without the feathers down the legs and she has a rose comb as well.  I've never separated them to see what her egg color is for sure but I'm thinking it was brown.  So, with a BCM roo, Lucy's egg's should be brown.
I have new egg's everywhere.

Ah well then I bet its her !! I'm going to borrow my friends game can if I can and see if I can catch her that way

 

[Leahs Mom]

If I was buying goats I'd have a MUCH bigger concern about purchasing from a CL free herd... good luck finding one of those...

Me too. When I buy, I have a vet go out and take blood samples first to test for CAE and Johnes BEFORE I purchase and BEFORE I bring them home.

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

Just watched the funniest/loudest game of keep away! One caught a cicada, it was screaming while they ran around taking it away from each other. My barn kitten was following them trying to figure out what was making that noise lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a question for those of you who have experience with setting eggs under broody hens:

I'm going to be setting some purchased eggs (shipped... ugh) under a broody. I am also going to be setting some of our own eggs.

Any advice on how to know which chicks have hatched from which eggs? I'd like to mark the ones I got from the outside source.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have a question for those of you who have experience with setting eggs under broody hens:

I'm going to be setting some purchased eggs (shipped... ugh) under a broody. I am also going to be setting some of our own eggs.

Any advice on how to know which chicks have hatched from which eggs? I'd like to mark the ones I got from the outside source.

That is tough to do. I had eggs labeled under broodies, but when they hatch, the eggs get broken, and sometimes it is hard to see the writing on the egg after hatch. Also, you have to keep looking under for egg shells if they don't push them out, and then the later hatching eggs sometimes won't hatch because of disturbing them. Are yours going to be the same breeds as the shipped eggs? Personally I would just try to ID them after they are hatched. I'm sure others may have different ideas.

 

[armorfirelady]

Leah congrats on the broody & good luck on the hatching!!

Those who have purchased neem oil. Do you find it in large bottles at garden centers?

I went to our local feed supply store & they only had a small 3 oz bottle for $9 (its organic) and one of the workers said she was told it couldn't be sold anymore ? I bought the bottle to make some natural squash bug spray but I was curious if anyone else found larger bottles or heard its not going to be sold anymore ?

 

[MumsyII]

I have a question for those of you who have experience with setting eggs under broody hens:

I'm going to be setting some purchased eggs (shipped... ugh) under a broody. I am also going to be setting some of our own eggs.

Any advice on how to know which chicks have hatched from which eggs? I'd like to mark the ones I got from the outside source.

I tried valiantly to do this very thing with the Silkie eggs under two broodies just this week. I found that I was disturbing the hen and the hatch and just gave up. The hens kept getting agitated and I felt I was jeopardizing the tiny chicks under nervous feet. My instincts were right. The pullet broody killed a chick in her agitation by standing on it. White Silkie chicks will be impossible for me to identify which chick came out of which egg. I will stick to using the incubator with Silkie progeny testing when it's important. I'm going to leave them alone during hatch out now.

 

[Bill Matthews]

TO: Leahs Mom........Remove the eggs from the incubator at the time suggested by the manufacturer and hatch the eggs from either source in the oven observing temperature and moisture standards suggested by a reliable source....You should check to determine the accuracy of the temp gauge on the oven....Good Luck