Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Hinotori]

Well I have 5 angry hens and a cockerel who thinks he's died and gone to Valhalla. Hopefully I'll have fertile eggs soon.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Well I have 5 angry hens and a cockerel who thinks he's died and gone to Valhalla. Hopefully I'll have fertile eggs soon.

Are you intending on winter hatch? I have one of the younger br that wants to be broody
but not really wanting to let her what if I took the chicks a few hours old to her?

 

[Hinotori]

I hatch in the incubator and then slip the chicks under the broody hen at night

 

[pennyJo1960]

Like when you close them up for the night?

 

[Hinotori]

Like when you close them up for the night?

Sorry took so long, was cooking a late dinner.

Yeah, I just go out anytime after dark and do it. My silkies are really good with chicks. I don't trust some of the big girls.

I'm setting up the bator and hope I can load it within two weeks.

The broody will have the chicks in with the other silkies. Makes for more heat and room at night. Chicks do great with them even in January

 

[Duck Drover]

We had hens hatch chicks but we have to bring them inside to raise because the coops are not designed for baby chicks. We might try letting the hens raise chicks in the future but I like to keep a close eye on them. We just keep some chicks and not all of them so I want to be sure that the keepers are safe.

I have a hen sitting on a nest but I may take her eggs tomorrow to get her laying again. She is my favorite Easter Egger and we only have two under our Quechua rooster. I have a really colorful young rooster chick that I think is hers and even though I don't need roosters I want some colorful pullets from her. I want to start moving the young cockerels out of the coop but I need to be certain about the genders on pea combs before they go.

 

[pennyJo1960]

should I move her into a like a segregated portion of the main coop then do this

 

[junebuggena]

I always let my broodies stay in the coop with the flock. Most adult birds just ignore the babies. And the mommas are usually pretty good about keeping any overly curious birds in check.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I always let my broodies stay in the coop with the flock. Most adult birds just ignore the babies. And the mommas are usually pretty good about keeping any overly curious birds in check.

okay will try when they hatch.. the three from earlier looks like 2 cockerels 1 pullet but
the little blue of my avatar is the pullet

 

[Hinotori]

Well I weighed that monster silkie cockerel yesterday. He's only 6 months and so far over standard weight it's not funny. An adult cock should be 36 oz. That boy is already 57 oz.

He's been visibly bigger than any other silkie I have for several months. Maybe I should put him with a couple of my biggest girls and see if I can breed for a standard size silkie instead of the bantam.