The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

Gertie & Doc have hatched 9 chicks. 3 Barred Naked Necks, 1 of Penny's descendants (white chick), 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks (can't tell which two, just that two BR eggs hatched!) and 3 Barred Easter Eggers.

 

[NanaKat]

Gave two broody Cochins 15 chicks out of the incubator last week. Slipped the 4 day old and week old chicks under the hens in the evening and both girls are doing a good job mothering the babies. They are doing great...freeranging and running thru the grass to the other pens. They quickly return to the moms when they call.







Broody overload...two hanging cages and a 10 hold nester and there are three in the other 10 hole nester....sheesh!


Yes, deep litter is the best!

 

[MumsyII]

Wow they are late huh? Go silkies!

It's making me a nervous wreck.

 

[Sally8]

These last 2 posts are perfecting timing for me. Cecilia has 5 chicks Under her all spaced out by 1 day except for the last that was 2 days later. Just now when I checked on the incubator, yup, I heard peeping. My thoughts are to keep this new one that will hatch in the next day or so and the rest of the 6 eggs here in the house for a few days and then slip them under her. The last chick was only 24 hours old and I wasn't sure it would make it but now each chick will be that much younger. Any thoughts? sue. (Plus it's much cooler than the 90 degrees it was and today rainy)

 

[aoxa]

It's making me a nervous wreck.

I'm sure it is!

My silkies seem to hatch on day 21 and never early.

A broody just hatched one silkie. She had only one silkie egg, and the rest were Barred Rocks. I have another silkie sitting on 5 silkie eggs due to hatch this week. I haven't candled, so I have no idea how it's going to go.

Fingers crossed for you!!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Love hearing that those broody mommas are taking the older chicks!

 

[MumsyII]

I'm sure it is!

My silkies seem to hatch on day 21 and never early.

A broody just hatched one silkie. She had only one silkie egg, and the rest were Barred Rocks. I have another silkie sitting on 5 silkie eggs due to hatch this week. I haven't candled, so I have no idea how it's going to go.

Fingers crossed for you!!

Thank you. My husband told me a minute ago there was a pip. I said, "No there isn't, cause I just checked.' He was right. As soon as I went up stairs one of those little stinkers pipped!

Judy the Broody is on six silkie eggs due to hatch in a couple days. Two of the Silkie hens are sitting on six to eight a piece. Three pullets are laying everyday and I'm waiting for one or two of them to go broody as well. I was hoping to get a nice flock of Whites this summer. It could happen.

Yes. I've never had Silkie eggs hatch early either. I'm running the Genesis at 100 degrees steady. Hasn't fluctuated in twenty two days. I sweat the process each and every time. Humidity is at about 62%. Hoping this is going to work out well.

 

[aoxa]

Thank you. My husband told me a minute ago there was a pip. I said, "No there isn't, cause I just checked.' He was right. As soon as I went up stairs one of those little stinkers pipped!

Judy the Broody is on six silkie eggs due to hatch in a couple days. Two of the Silkie hens are sitting on six to eight a piece. Three pullets are laying everyday and I'm waiting for one or two of them to go broody as well. I was hoping to get a nice flock of Whites this summer. It could happen.

Yes. I've never had Silkie eggs hatch early either. I'm running the Genesis at 100 degrees steady. Hasn't fluctuated in twenty two days. I sweat the process each and every time. Humidity is at about 62%. Hoping this is going to work out well.

I've read a lot about bantams hatching before standard birds, but haven't really seen that happen. My Barred Rocks are usually early though. First hatch the earliest was 4 days early. That's 4 days early out of shell. They internally pipped 5 days early.. The last hatch they were 2 days early hatching. I had silkie eggs in with the Barred Rocks, and they were on time. Day 21.

 

[midnightroo]

We are going away for a few days next week and I have someone to change the water and feed the chickens. But since the chickens can roam free usually, I was wondering if there were any activities I could easily set up to occupy them and keep them from being bored or flying over the fence.

Sounds like there will be pictures soon of little babies!

 

[countrygirl74]

Some scratch or boss tossed in the coop during the winter gets the girls to turn the DL for me

That's what I do too! I even put the ducks out of their pen and let all my girls in there so they turn the ducks deep litter for me as well - lol.