The NFC B-Day Chat Thread

[DigMyChicks]

Except the lid of course


Unless I want a girl to raise chicks (which is pretty rare) I don't let them go one day before they visit the buster. And that one day is usually because I see them in the nest when I open the barn in the morning and ASSUME they are laying an egg. If they are still there at closing time, they aren't laying an egg! But if they DID lay an egg I'll toss them out of the nest and see where they are the next morning. From my experience, the longer they are broody the longer it takes to break them. And they aren't doing their job of laying eggs while they are broody. Guess I've been lucky with respect to "turnaround time" on going broody again, usually at least 4-6 weeks.


At least the fox ate one you would put on the "if a predator HAS to kill one, chose this one" list!


You married a woman???

Neither DW nor I like to shop. Should have seen us killing time on Church Street for an hour before going to a restaurant about a month ago. Even then we got to the restaurant at 5 PM.

Yep, but he also got a couple of my favorites

 

[bruceha2000]

I've lost 4 to predators, I would have chosen to hand over different birds given a choice.

 

[sunflour]

TSC has chicks. "Just sayin'."

I did get one trip to TSC just to look for fun...agree with others, they don't know how to care for them

virtues of MHP

IMO you should have told them who you are...you are a celebrity .....on second thought anonymity is much better.

Scored a bunch of free risers yesterday. They'll work well for footings on my coops.
View attachment 1302443

Wowser. What luck!

go to 3 stores, compare prices, then go back to the 1st store. Drives me nuts.

I used to go to several stores to make sure I wasn't missing the best choice but now I go on line before any real shopping trip DH can know what he wants or needs, pick something out in 2 seconds and shopping is finished .

The cake is very good! I did not get a picture of it but it looked similar to this:

View attachment 1302506

I did not get the lines to look as good because it says to drizzle the chocolate--They obviously piped it!

I refuse to look, I'm dieting ( started today so who knows for how long )

Nope, never. I mentioned pasty butt a couple of times (and it was severe!) and the answer I got was "that's normal". I've told employees when the chicks are out of water and the bedding soaked. I've told them when there was a dead chick in the tank. I've had them try to tell me you have to have a rooster for the girls to lay eggs. I've had them tell me the breed of ducks they sold are "yellow".

And that's not all happening at just one store. I've met so many ill informed employees at farm stores, I don't think I could buy a live animal from any of them.

Oops, sorry. Rant over.

Exactly! My babies have all come from one independant animal/pet store that know a little about chickens

I don't let them go one day before they visit the buster.

Honest, does it work? Specifically what "buster" do you use....I will try anything if she is not permanently off the nest this week.....but, she does stay out longer when we flush her out this week.

I still think it's odd I have a 5 year old BO that never once went broody and now a Wellie who went broody soon after starting to lay

My quail eggs are on lockdown!

........sending good vibes

 

[bruceha2000]

Honest, does it work? Specifically what "buster" do you use....I will try anything if she is not permanently off the nest this week.....but, she does stay out longer when we flush her out this week.

I made one out of scrap wood and left over 1/2" hardware cloth. It is about 18" x 42" x 18". I have 2 doors on it but have yet to put in a center divider so I can have 2 in there at once without them messing with each other and knocking over the food. It is up on a stand, sink height from the floor so plenty of air space under her. It is definitely easier to break them in the spring and fall than in the heat of summer. I once tried to break a broody by putting ice packs under her on the nest. She thawed 2 in succession and her breast was HOT, they did no good at all.

I know some think it cruel to break them but I am of the opposite opinion. I think it is cruel NOT to break them. If they aren't going to hatch anything, sitting on a nest not eating or drinking (as a broody that IS hatching eggs WILL do) for weeks is NOT good for their health. If they can't stay hot underneath their hormones go back to normal, they go back to normal.

Mine will usually break in a day or two if I pull them off the nest < 1 day of going broody. Before I got "mean" I tried waiting them out for a week or two. They took at least 5 days to break. In pretty much all cases, once mine have been broken, they still won't lay for 5-7 days.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Happy Hatching!

Thanks, getting ready to go disinfect the brooder and attach the heat lamp box.

 

[N F C]

I made one out of scrap wood and left over 1/2" hardware cloth. It is about 18" x 42" x 18". I have 2 doors on it but have yet to put in a center divider so I can have 2 in there at once without them messing with each other and knocking over the food. It is up on a stand, sink height from the floor so plenty of air space under her. It is definitely easier to break them in the spring and fall than in the heat of summer. I once tried to break a broody by putting ice packs under her on the nest. She thawed 2 in succession and her breast was HOT, they did no good at all.

I know some think it cruel to break them but I am of the opposite opinion. I think it is cruel NOT to break them. If they aren't going to hatch anything, sitting on a nest not eating or drinking (as a broody that IS hatching eggs WILL do) for weeks is NOT good for their health. If they can't stay hot underneath their hormones go back to normal, they go back to normal.

Mine will usually break in a day or two if I pull them off the nest < 1 day of going broody. Before I got "mean" I tried waiting them out for a week or two. They took at least 5 days to break. In pretty much all cases, once mine have been broken, they still won't lay for 5-7 days.

That sounds like the buster we used (it was actually an unused rabbit cage). We set it up in the coolest, shadiest part of the run. The other girls were a might confused why their fellow flock-mate got the special quarters, but they had fun jumping up on the lid to keep her company, lol.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I did get one trip to TSC just to look for fun...agree with others, they don't know how to care for them



IMO you should have told them who you are...you are a celebrity .....on second thought anonymity is much better.



Wowser. What luck!



I used to go to several stores to make sure I wasn't missing the best choice but now I go on line before any real shopping trip DH can know what he wants or needs, pick something out in 2 seconds and shopping is finished .



I refuse to look, I'm dieting ( started today so who knows for how long )



Exactly! My babies have all come from one independant animal/pet store that know a little about chickens



Honest, does it work? Specifically what "buster" do you use....I will try anything if she is not permanently off the nest this week.....but, she does stay out longer when we flush her out this week.

I still think it's odd I have a 5 year old BO that never once went broody and now a Wellie who went broody soon after starting to lay



........sending good vibes

Thanks for the good vibes!
I too am trying to lose weight. Gave up soda. Now i am whittling back other sugar products. Next on the chopping block is my Mallow cups. I am almost done the ones i had and i am not buying more. Any food i find when shopping that has sugar as the first ingredient is not purchased. And i am trying to consume more veggies. I always drink lots of water.

 

[N F C]

Thanks, getting ready to go disinfect the brooder and attach the heat lamp box.

Hey Cap (and anyone else with new chicks or hatching)...have you seen this contest? It's open until mid-April:
contest-7-cutest-baby-fowl-9th-annual-byc-easter-hatchalong.1227629

 

[ronott1]

Hey Cap (and anyone else with new chicks or hatching)...have you seen this contest? It's open until mid-April:
contest-7-cutest-baby-fowl-9th-annual-byc-easter-hatchalong.1227629

I hope a lot have seen it!

I am guilty of not seeing the featured threads section on the home page.

BTW, we only have a couple of entries into the baking contest.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/9th-annual-byc-ehal-contest-2-edible-easter.1224639/

 

[N F C]

I hope a lot have seen it!

I am guilty of not seeing the featured threads section on the home page.

BTW, we only have a couple of entries into the baking contest.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/9th-annual-byc-ehal-contest-2-edible-easter.1224639/

I didn't know there was a baking contest.

Thanks, I'll go check it out.