Broodies on the Homestead

[Beekissed]

Okay...now that fickle BA is back on the nest this evening, as is a NEW broody, a WR this time. We'll wait and see how dedicated they are to the sitting before I go ahead and give them eggs.

Broodies.... can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh man... that's a stinker for sure.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sounds like that's it! Yep, give them girls a break! I'm sure they'll appreciate it and the WR girls will feel special, lol!

 

[Hinotori]

I had eggs explode once. Makes me leary. It was during an unusually wet spell here.

I set eggs on Monday. Dozen under an broody and stuffed the incubator since fertility probably is low with birds molting. The heavy butt feathering doesn't help either.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yay Congrats!! mama hens are awesome.

 

[Beekissed]

Congrats on the chick surprise, NH. Hens can be fierce.
Hinotori, sounds like you may be able to have those 2 hens foster the ones that hatch in the incubator - yes?

6 eggs, 6 chicks! Cute, fluffy, active. Can't ask for more. Her sister setting another small clutch of 7 (I think) & hatch date 6/8. Right now, that's it.

Hope for pics tomorrow....not posed & great like the silkies. So, dont get excited. Just lucky to get any.

I will post this one....it had been raining, this roo jumped up on the fence next to me. Had my phone out!
View attachment 3470

this guy was hatch last Spring from eggs I bought locally. So tame but...odd bird. He & his bro kind of divided the girls. His are in a coop at night that he won't roost in. Each morning he meets me and walks to the coop with me to open it. At evening, he calls them in, then leaves. Roosts in the machine shed/goat barn you see in pic. This is every day for him. Stays with them all day. Yep, he's dad to several chicks on ground. Sweet & handsome roo.

That guy is a keeper! I hope you get to spend many a long year with him. He's beautiful!

 

[NH Homesteader]

I got some EE's because I liked the idea of fun colored eggs. They're just not my style, personality wise. To me, flighty birds are not worth the colors!

 

[Hinotori]

We had a silkie roo briefly. He was not calm, he picked fights with the big birds all the time (and lost, nearly all the time). He came from our friend's hatchery stock... Think that was his issue. Yours are gorgeous!

I had hatchery silkies once. Most evil nastiest rooster I ever had. First bird I ate and boy did he deserve it.

I cannot say that silkie roosters don't get aggressive towards other birds. Just that all the non-hatchery ones I've had were extremely people friendly. Less suspicious than the girls. Actually them being over friendly as chicks makes me assume boy.

As for aggression towards other chickens, I have many a (hilarious) tale about Genghis Pumpkin -ruler of the silkie horde. He very much believed in territory expansion. He lead his flock on a warpath.

He'd also attack any non-silkie on sight. He beat up my silver and wheaten ameraucana roosters who were 3 times his size. It was so bad that all of the large fowl would freak out and run if a they saw a silkie.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Wow! Good for him! This silkie also attacked my dogs, robins, blue jays, any non-human being nearby. He picked fights with the dominique cockerels who were a bit too much for him to handle!

 

[Hinotori]

I can't wait for this hatch of chicks. Some more in it from my mutant giant silkie. I'm trying to get more of a base to cross to but have to be careful on the line breeding. At least 2/3 will be from normal roosters. There is also one fertile egg from my giant new years cockerel. I had saved every egg from the laying girls in with him in hopes. The mother is also big so this 3rd generation chick is of great intetest to me.

I'm going to be looking for a rooster from another breeder with good comb. Add some new blood. Partridge seem to have a comb color issue so I may get a black rooster. They can be crossed in without problem as long as you understand it screws up color on the first generation cross. It can improve the black areas in the 2nd gen and beyond.