Broodies on the Homestead

[frustratedearthmother]

I have done that before too. I swear the next time I get a broody I'm going to put her in isolation so that none of the other gals can add to her nest! Good luck!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope we soon get some pics of chicks .

Here is a few of my SF they are 5 weeks old now

Lil OEGB chicks 6weeks

Chocolate Orp 7weeks

 

[lcertuche]

 

[Miss Lydia]

So precious!

 

[Miss Lydia]

We have at least 3external pips this morning on day 19.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Go babies, go babies!

 

[lcertuche]

DS (14) bought me 3 one week old chicks this morning at Trade Days 1st Saturday event we have every month. Our two broodies just held up their wings and they flew in with their other 5 chicks. The man who sold us the birds said two were Swedish Flowers and one was a blue maran. The maran is more than two times bigger and taller than our other fuzzy butts.

 

[Mini Horses]

best way to raise chicks -- with a hen!!!!! I find the hens normally take them, especially at night. LOL Great idea to add a few to the flock.

I have Marans and they are decent sized birds...not as hefty as a BO but, nice. Have read that they are good tasting meat, don't know. Mine have been good temperament, layers & moms.

This year all chicks are mixed breed. The two roos being used are mixed...both were from blue eggs. Farm had black ameraucana, crème legbar & marans. For sure moms were from first two....but, I'm thinking their dad is questionable. Both roos have muffs but, also straight combs. The combs tell me CL or BCM is dad -- looks like one of each.

Most of the chicks have black legs (Marans & Blk Ameraucana do), some obvious muffs....eggs this Fall will be colorful blue & greens. Many of the hens eggs I used to hatch were my blue ones, not all. Once I get to Fall I will have pens to separate more of the blue layers where I will put my lavender ameraucana roo & hope for lots of broodies to hatch those eggs next Spring. I have plans for my full hen/roo BCMs to breed, also.

So far the "shared" egg is still under hen with other 7 eggs...just waiting. Hope I'm lucky & it hatches close to same time as others.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had hatch day yesterday finally got a look at them today

 

[Hinotori]

I have a week to go. Well they are due Monday the 10th but silkies tend to come early. All eggs in the incubator still look good. I'll check under the broodies tonight. They have been sitting side by side on those eggs like good hens.

I need to find my Blukote so I can stain the foot feathers of the chicks under those hens when they hatch. That should hold them a week until I can put bands on them. Those chicks are from my white rooster over the the hens not in the breeding pens so all will carry recessive white at a minimum. Don't want them mixed up with the straight partridge. I'm trying to figure out who is a carrier in the partridge and try to eliminate it. I have two white pullets now so later I can test breed the males to find out. White pullets still sell well even if they aren't what I want.

I'm hoping for another Isabel pullet, just because the coloring is pretty. My husband claims the one we have is his chicken. She is from the batched raised inside and he picked her up and held her a lot as a chick. Said we were keeping her even if it was a boy.

This hatch should tell me if she's a mutation or if her grandmother is carrying a copy of lavender like I suspect.