YO GEORGIANS! :)

[ChickDancer]

Abmaddox's birds are all at other houses because of the trouble with the zoning, so she gets a bit melancholy reading about all of the fun things everyone is up to. I don't know about Robo and GAM, but they (she) may be doing the same thing as I am -busting their (her) butts during the day on their farm and working on projects then passing out asleep in the evenings

.

While Robo barks orders and falls asleep in the hammock, sipping on all of the fresh lemonade?

 

[Blue Roo]

My BO is may only Brodie hen I have she is a great mother hen I got ride of my other but kept her because she goes Broodie every year

 

[ChickDancer]

Good Morning y'all…

Peeking in and thought I would drop a line. A couple of irons in the fire here. First are my Maran eggs poor things have little chance of hatch, I don't expect anything but still have a glimmer of hope for them. They were twice abandoned by my broody hens for freshly laid eggs instead. I check daily and had my incubator fired up and ready just in case so in they went. I canceled at 5 days and found one not fertile. The other 11 were dark, usually I can seen the veins clearly. No stink coming from the incubator so giving them a chance, their 21st day is Sunday the 25Th…I keep watch.

Out in the hen house I have 3 broody girls: a white silkie, a crazy bantam EE and a Black Astrolorp…dang. I have nest box curtains over the 5 boxes and no Roo in the house. It looks like I'm Going to have to build a broody breaker apartment house in my basement for these gals.

Over in the Polish storybook house Fred the Tolbunt Roo and Amelia my Tolbunt pullet are still grasping the concept of how to come in out of the rain. We had a driving sheets of rain storm the other day. I went out to check and there were two chickens that looked like wet cats. The run is covered and their house elevated for additional coverage but this was again a driving rain so it blew in on them. No harm no fowl (yes pun intended) I put them both up in their coop and by the end of the next day all was well again. In a little over a month they will have company as I have Polish chicks coming in from California at the end of the month. More Tolbunts and a WC surprise mix, I'll have to wait for grow out to see if I get the blues and black WCs I want.

Now on to sand…in the coop…in the confined run (hawks, coyotes, etc abound here). Construction grade, washed, kiln dried. I've read the pros and the cons, some folks swear by it and some are against it. I've read the practice of sprinkling Sweet PDZ in also. Questions still remain. I like the idea that not only does it dry quicker if rained on as well as drying poo out quicker to avoid the growth of all the nasties that can make are chickens sick. I like the idea that it helps as a natural pedicure for everyone and that it's s dust bath everywhere and anywhere rather than one concentrated spot for all. Now myself I love the beach and wiggling my toes in the sand, but I also love the feel of the soft grass etc. Any thoughts????? (about the chickens not my toes lol)

Grass doesn't survive in a chicken pen. Go with the sand.

 

[ChickDancer]

I need more eyes on my roosts and coop design. Coop is 4wx6dx6h roosts are 3 ft long on top and 4 ft on the bottom. I'm limited inside, but the top roost is 12" from back wall. I don't think I can have more than 7 hens in there overnight bc there is no more roost space assuming each takes 12" of space. Droppings board is below about 3.5" will have sand, sweet pdz on that later. Would love suggestions, thoughts, etc.

I definitely wouldn't assume each hen takes 12" of space. They practically stand on top of each other when they roost, even in summer.

 

[ChickDancer]

Ive seen posts from both robo and gam but like most lately a quick hi. Seems like weather and spring chores keeping everyone busy lately so its been pretty quiet on most of the threads I read. Few more new folks hello to you. Im trying to figure out how to build a temp coop for 14 chicks in a 2w x 10l x 7h area on my balcony. The chicks are almost 2 months old to 2 1/2 months and theyve gotten over my crate wall and although they mostly stay on their end of the balcony I want to get them better situated in the coming month. The balcony is on the north side so light but no direct sun. The wind blows west to east most times and rain rarely blows onto the balcony due to the overhang above and winds. Trying to design this with simple design since either I will have to build or have someone to build it and pay them and no idea what it might cost me. Hard enough trying to buy wood here. I think on my album I got pic of my balcony and it would be the middle of that. Should that size be big enough for 14 chicks for say 6 months? Im still looking for land and I know im going to get something built then boom have to take it down to move PLUS moving it up and down 3 stories. Otherwise im thinking to talk to my fil about an area he has downstairs. Then I would have to deal with rats, bugs, kids and everything else. I just dont want to build a great coop then move.

Just keep in mind that chickens are pretty much full grown at 6 months of age. So you'll definitely need something that can hold full-grown chickens if they'll be in there for six months.

 

[ChickDancer]

Hey Ya'll, I have a dozen CCL eggs in lockdown, it's day 20 and 1 egg just pipped, but it pipped on the pointed end of the egg. This is new to me. Anybody seen this before?

ALL THE TIME! I actually just lost one two days ago from it.

UNLESS I left the eggs in the turner. I have no idea why or how, but when I leave eggs in the turner, they never pip on the wrong end.

 

[ChickDancer]

Aw dang. ^^didn't realize the pic ended up blurred. She has a feather in her beak, lol.

Put some hay in front of that girl, and see if she builds an entire nest with it!

I don't know about broody orps though. I just got my first four orps from mrsdszoo's school project eggs.

 

[carcar80]

Well from what I'm reading, it's fairly common? So what now? Since I removed the eggs, might she still be in the box when I get home? Is that a way to tell or will she leave when they are removed?

 

[Prinette]

I know you guys have ducks and what not and I was wondering how you guys felt about hatching under broody chickens? I have almost no success with incubators and I feel like it would be easier with them. Does the humidity for chickens and ducks vary that much? Would it be okay for me to let a silkie take over?

Also does anyone have any silkies they would like to sell? Hatching eggs or chicks. I don't care about color or anything as long as they are healthy.

 

[ChickDancer]

Well from what I'm reading, it's fairly common? So what now? Since I removed the eggs, might she still be in the box when I get home? Is that a way to tell or will she leave when they are removed?

Taking the eggs away from her MIGHT make her break the broodiness. But being this soon after you took them, you could try putting them back and see if it sparks her interest again.

But just remember the two consecutive-nights rule. Don't trust her until she spends to consecutive nights on the nest, and NOT roosting with the others. If she does that, then you can put as many eggs under her as she can fit. In the meantime, either leave a single egg under her, or a fake egg (like golfballs), so she still feels like she is sitting on eggs.