Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Beetlemama

We've gone broody again too I've given her 3 to sit on (if they all hatch we'll have almost doubled our flock so we don't want to be too ambitious) and everyone looks happier today now it's not raining.

I know Rooster Cogburn is doing his job because all the eggs we've had lately have been fertilized - I try not to think about it while I am eating them, you have to be able to put it out of your mind or you'd never eat them, I know I try to avoid them for a while if I've seen anyone eat a slug or anything, squeamish much? lol

Thriftkitten

Whilst at work today a customer said he had also kept chickens for years and his broodys had raised many a chick, he mentioned that I needed to keep the hutch area moist for optimum results, I didnt really have time to chat as the shop was packed, But now I'm a little worried that I may be doing things wrong, Marj is stuck fast on a clutch of fertile bantam eggs in a rabbit hutch located inside our house(outhouse attached to the kitchen, I have been leaving plenty of food and water also treats where she is located, so that she does not have to leave the hutch for food, just get up and shuffle along the hutch which she has been doing as food stores going down.
My question is, I havent seen any poo or wee patches at all since friday, nor have I been encouraging her off the the eggs for a break or to change the bedding..... should I be doing this??? and what does this man mean about keeping things moist around the nest, I thought things should be as dry as poss and she would take care of the rest.... thanks ahead of time.... day five of glued to the nest, she is very quiet, all puffed up and in a zen like state, just wanna stroke her but bet she'd have my hand right off.... she is a huge bird!:rotfl:

Syman

clicky

Our first egg from the school girls:j:j:j:j

Gigervamp

Ah Heather, so you've seen our new girls and boy! We just can't help ourselves.

We went to the local county show on Sunday when the poultry show was on. Some of the chooks were for sale and I had a difficult job trying to decide between the copper marans that we got and a buff orpington and 2 cochins that were being sold together.

We decided on the copper marans as our other two aren't the most prolific layers as they're getting on a bit now and everybody loves the dark brown eggs.

Hubby wasn't keen at first on having the boy too, but I pointed out that if we took him as well, we could grow our own marans next year and so increase our flock of dark brown egg layers.

I was really sorry to hear that your little chick didn't make it, that's so sad.

Thriftkitten, I know that if you use an incubator to hatch eggs you have to get the humidity right, but I'd have thought that it's not a problem when using a broody. If you were able to put your hand under her, you'd feel that it's quite warm and a little bit moist under there, but if you're worried about it, you could always get a plant mister and just give a couple of squirts into the hutch.


I think Duckypoos might be a she. The tail feathers have come through properly now and they're dead straight. Males have a little curl at the end. Also, s/he is starting to quack now and it's the females who quack.

S/he gave me a fright this morning! I was sorting out the feed and I heard Duckypoos making a distressed sound. Looked down and found her/him squashed between two pallets with a leg stuck inbetween two of the slats on one of them. :eek: I gave hubby a quick shout and while I held Duckypoos, he extricated the leg. Luckily there was no damage, I was worried that the leg might have got broken, but Duckypoos toddled off without even a limp, thank goodness!

All the other chicks are doing well. Petal's boy has been trying to get it on with the big girls, but he's not big enough to reach to do the deed and he also doesn't seem to know what he's supposed to do once he's on, other than hold onto her neck feathers! :rotfl:

Oh yes, and one of our silkie pullets isn't a pullet! Heard crowing coming from their coop a couple of times now!

steady__eddie

Thriftkitten, a long time ago when I was my own man before she who thinks she must be obeyed appeared on the scene, I derived immense pleasure from the couple of bantams that ruled the garden. one went broody a couple of times and the required objects were supplied to her. She had obviously read the manual 'cos she knew what to do immediately. In those days, (pre t'internet), the source of info was the public library. I recall reading that the hen should be physically removed from the nest once a day in order that she could sretch her legs, perform naturally bodily functions and eat and drink. Initially it was quite a struggle but as time went on the learning curve started to flatten out. In connection with the bodily function bit, I will not delve too specifically but it was large and solid resembling an egg but the worst bit was the smell. I am an invetorate smoker of several years standing so consequently my remaining taste buds can be counted on the claw of one foot but the odour emanating from the poo was overwhelming. She knew how long to leave her eggs and after about 5 minutes she would settle down on them again. A friend of mine had two broodys on the go, when they had finished feeding, (and other things), they would return to the nest. Invariably it was the nest that was closest to them and not necessarily the one that they had vacated 5 minutes previously. I would suggest that you double check what I have said re forcibly ejecting them from the nest, this may have been the thinking 30 years ago and may have been debunked now. I don't want to be the subject of an enquiry by the N.S.P.C.C. (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Chooks).

Thriftkitten

Thankyou for that Eddie.... Since my last post she has emptied the royal Anus to say the least!!!!, as mentioned before, she is in our outhouse attached to the kitchen, I decided it would be best to move her food and water out of the rabbit hutch and onto the floor outside the hutch meaning she would have to venture out of the hutch to eat and drink, I knew she was eating so this wasn't a problem, This worked and she must of come out whilst I was at work as she managed to re decorate the outhouse.... thank god for the slate flooring and boy does it ever stink.... I was about to give the dogs a right royal Boll***ing when i came in the front door but soon became aparent it was coming from deeper within the kitchen and into the outhouse lol!! Still Im happy she has been.
Yesterday I enlisted the help of my friend whom I call "Bird man" as Marj the broody is very large and scares me sometimes hahhahahah!!!
I changed the bedding to saw dust and straw and placed the eggs back in the nest very quick, I couldnt help candling them briefly, she has discarded 1 as it was on the outter side of the nest and cold, it was also the only one that was completely clear upon candling, the rest seem to have a shaded mass within the egg, hoping this ins't just the yolk as it was a little early to tell really( day5) will try again in a few more days, we decided to put the egg back in to see if she discards it again, if she does we will get rid.:T

Thriftkitten

Oops also forgot to say Rita one of our brown hens gave us an egg today, it was rather pointed looking but bless her she is a prolific layer and stopped all of a sudden, was hogging the nest and thought she might of been going broody too as all 3 hens have been spending a lot of time inside their coop during the day, only popping out for short intervals...
Bless her she must of been squeezing for days, well she plopped it out this morning and then spent the day outside happy as larry dustbathing in the sunshine!!! Yay Rita!! we have eggs again... as only her and Marj the broody were giving us eggs, Primrose is moulting so stopped and Sue hasn't given an egg since we had her 2 months ago.

HeatherintheHills

I lost another of my ex bats today, she had been out of the cage for just over a year. She was a little subdued yesterday, but eating, drinking and scratching so I thought it might be the moult, one or two have started.

This morning she was hogging a nest box but looked ok, when I went back later she had quietly gone. She looked so peaceful that at first I thought she had just fallen asleep.

I hate that these lovely girls live such a short time out of the cages. That is 2 of my original 4 gone and another wasn't looking too good this afternoon either. I just hope the fourth hen is one of the ones that beat the odds.

HeatherintheHills

Gigervamp wrote: »

Ah Heather, so you've seen our new girls and boy! We just can't help ourselves.

Yup, you can't sneak new hens past me Giger :rotfl: Your trio are gorgeous, the boy looks like he is going to be a real stunner. I loved that they arrived in a giant egg box :rotfl:

I'd love some cuckoo marans and the local poultry auction just happens to be next week, I just checked the catalogue and there are some listed. And there are some bantam hens I just HAVE to get for Henry.

ionahenor2

So sorry to hear about your little exbatty.

It is sad when they have so little freedom time but what a time she must have had.....sunbathing, dustbaths, scratching about, the odd worm or slug, and just being free with the sun and rain on her back. You will have given her lots of love and attention in her short but wonderful time with you.