What did you do with your flock today?

[Nomadicus]

Maui does not have a military base, could it be Oahu?
Do you have other family that you can contact to clarify?

I'll contact my son today. I may have got confused. Sometimes I do....

 

[Nomadicus]

The roosters I'm going after today to rehome at my place had to be captured off their roosts in the trees. I may have a good chance now of a wild flock in my woods. No neighbors for them to bother. I have a great spot for jungle fowl type of chickens that can be wild and free. If they come in to have some feed that would be ok too.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Forest did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Spoiler: Shop rat

View attachment 3604118

Slippah is a size 9. And no, not bigger than Koke'e rats. They were bigger and fatter.

Best forest find ever!!!!!View attachment 3604120
And he did not bring it in the house!! Smartest forest find ever...♡

Good job Forest!!! That is a really big rat!!!!

 

[kurby22]

Seriously, bobtail Cochin boys are so gentle

I just love their personalities

 

[Smokerbill]

I felt sorry for my cockerel being separated from his pullets, so I let them all free range in the yard together for an hour last evening. The cockerel "visted with" several of the pullets at least once during the hour. LOL

Strange thing though, right before going in to roost for the night a pullet dropped a soft shell egg. She quickly grabbed the soft shell, ran away with it and ate it! Weirded me out a little. At least none of them peck at or try to eat solid shelled eggs. Sounds strange, but the pullets seem to treat the "good" eggs with respect.

I'm wondering if a cockerel mating with a young pullet can induce early egg laying sometimes? Anyway, I decided that the cockerel won't be allowed to service his ladies for a while, just in case that's true.

Other than that, got a couple of big eggs this morning, plus a few average size.

 

[Maddcatter]

Happy that yours is a good mama. Just breed facts that I'd read somewhere. I haven't let her set any, as our flock is at a max right now.

Yeah, mine is also maxxed out for chickens at the moment.

I have had 1 out of 3 Welsummers be bad moms... And she wasn't really a bad mom as much as a bad co-mom. 2 wellies were sitting at the same time, but one's brood hatched a week before the other's. Bad co-mom wellie was the later batch. She got jealous that momma #1 already had chicks and tried to steal her nest. Given how chickens work, I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. After I got all the drama worked out, I ended up just giving all the chicks to momma #1.

... I find it hard to blame the chicken in that circumstance, as I have the bigger brain and should have known better.

I have had a different Welsummer co-mom at the same time as some other hens, but they all set to brood in the same 3 day span, so no one got jealous.

Anyway, whenever it is that you have room for more chickens, I hope it works out for you (regardless of whom you let brood)

 

[Maddcatter]

I felt sorry for my cockerel being separated from his pullets, so I let them all free range in the yard together for an hour last evening. The cockerel "visted with" several of the pullets at least once during the hour. LOL

Strange thing though, right before going in to roost for the night a pullet dropped a soft shell egg. She quickly grabbed the soft shell, ran away with it and ate it! Weirded me out a little. At least none of them peck at or try to eat solid shelled eggs. Sounds strange, but the pullets seem to treat the "good" eggs with respect.

I'm wondering if a cockerel mating with a young pullet can induce early egg laying sometimes? Anyway, I decided that the cockerel won't be allowed to service his ladies for a while, just in case that's true.

Other than that, got a couple of big eggs this morning, plus a few average size.

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If a hen gets startled, she can drop an egg early... Which typically means it has either no shell or a very soft one. Typically the shells are formed over night. Given the time of day, she may have just gotten scared of something (which may have been the rooster) and dropped an egg early.

Does your rooster dance for your ladies? Or does he catch and do his thing with no warning?

Also, if you give you rooster treats so he can feed his ladies, the rooster tends to stay friendly towards you. (Not always, but typically it works out).

 

[AngBantamLuv]

I felt sorry for my cockerel being separated from his pullets, so I let them all free range in the yard together for an hour last evening. The cockerel "visted with" several of the pullets at least once during the hour. LOL

Strange thing though, right before going in to roost for the night a pullet dropped a soft shell egg. She quickly grabbed the soft shell, ran away with it and ate it! Weirded me out a little. At least none of them peck at or try to eat solid shelled eggs. Sounds strange, but the pullets seem to treat the "good" eggs with respect.

I'm wondering if a cockerel mating with a young pullet can induce early egg laying sometimes? Anyway, I decided that the cockerel won't be allowed to service his ladies for a while, just in case that's true.

Other than that, got a couple of big eggs this morning, plus a few average size.

View attachment 3606248View attachment 3606249View attachment 3606250View attachment 3606251View attachment 3606253View attachment 3606254

Mine have been laying soft shells here and there since the heat got hotter, even with available calcium. Is it hot where you're at?

I was also afraid i had an egg pecker.. well someone did try after a few soft eggs, but i grab the eggs quickly so they don't get time to practice. I'm assuming the culprit is my chicken-cat, Esmaralda!! (She likes to walk between your feet and trip you).

 

[MaeM]

Today I could give Bianca some kisses. Look at her face. Look at how much she enjoys them.

I definitely need to be reunited with this flock full time!

 

[Smokerbill]

Just checked and found two more eggs, so seven in total today. And all with nice, solid shells too. One looks like it started moving faster as it went through the shell gland. The small end is dark tan, and it's much lighter on the fat end of the egg. Still solid, though.