SufficientSelf's Chicken Thread!!!

[Hinotori]

Well my big old hatchery brahma decided she is going to hatch eggs whether I like it or not. She'd been sitting the nest with fake eggs for three days, so since she's serious about it, I picked out my best blue/green eggs to give her from my easter eggers.

I was hoping that it would be a bit longer before I had another broody since my ameraucana cockerel is only 14 weeks and isn't mature yet. So my silkie/EE rooster will be the father of these chicks. He carries one copy of the blue egg gene, not that it matters if the mothers carry two. A few more blue egg layers is always good.

 

[<ErinElizabeth>]

I have 20 chickens. We have bantams as well as a laying flock. We sell both bantam eggs and large eggs for $2.00 a dozen. We have three coops: A broody coop, a coop for the layers, and a bantam house. For the young birds we have gigantic flower pots converted into little coops that we call "Chick Pots". The flower pots work fantastic and are great for spare bantam roosters as well. Here are some pictures:
The Chick Pot:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/7975896/width/900/height/900/flags/LL
A hard working broody:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/c/c5/900x900px-LL-c5564e81_100_6719.jpeg
Some layers wanting in the house:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/4/44/900x900px-LL-44d69210_moreedited100_5240.jpeg
The broody house:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/e/e0/900x900px-LL-e00a1ce4_100_8168.jpeg
The Bantam House:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/1/12/680x680px-LL-1283f0d4_100_4629.jpeg
Some more layers:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/7975999/width/900/height/900/flags/LL

 

[Corn Woman]

I have 20 chickens. We have bantams as well as a laying flock. We sell both bantam eggs and large eggs for $2.00 a dozen. We have three coops: A broody coop, a coop for the layers, and a bantam house. For the young birds we have gigantic flower pots converted into little coops that we call "Chick Pots". The flower pots work fantastic and are great for spare bantam roosters as well. Here are some pictures:
The Chick Pot:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/7975896/width/900/height/900/flags/LL
A hard working broody:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/c/c5/900x900px-LL-c5564e81_100_6719.jpeg
Some layers wanting in the house:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/4/44/900x900px-LL-44d69210_moreedited100_5240.jpeg
The broody house:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/e/e0/900x900px-LL-e00a1ce4_100_8168.jpeg
The Bantam House:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/1/12/680x680px-LL-1283f0d4_100_4629.jpeg
Some more layers:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/7975999/width/900/height/900/flags/LL

So nice I just love the setup and the chick pots. I need to get a bantam frizzle the only chick I had was taken by a neighbors cat so now I need to find some more or hatching eggs.

 

[<ErinElizabeth>]

I have 20 chickens. We have bantams as well as a laying flock. We sell both bantam eggs and large eggs for $2.00 a dozen. We have three coops: A broody coop, a coop for the layers, and a bantam house. For the young birds we have gigantic flower pots converted into little coops that we call "Chick Pots". The flower pots work fantastic and are great for spare bantam roosters as well. Here are some pictures:
The Chick Pot:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/7975896/width/900/height/900/flags/LL
A hard working broody:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/c/c5/900x900px-LL-c5564e81_100_6719.jpeg
Some layers wanting in the house:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/4/44/900x900px-LL-44d69210_moreedited100_5240.jpeg
The broody house:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/e/e0/900x900px-LL-e00a1ce4_100_8168.jpeg
The Bantam House:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/1/12/680x680px-LL-1283f0d4_100_4629.jpeg
Some more layers:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/7975999/width/900/height/900/flags/LL

So nice I just love the setup and the chick pots. I need to get a bantam frizzle the only chick I had was taken by a neighbors cat so now I need to find some more or hatching eggs.

Thank you. I would give you some frizzle hatching eggs but we just discovered that they have split wing. :/ So we are not going to be breeding the frizzles anymore.

 

[BearsMom]

I've only been raising chickens for 1 year but I'm having a great time. My husband and I had 50 chickens and 2 roosters, but last weekend we slaughtered 10 of the oldest hens. The process went well for us. We were able to borrow an automatic plucker....what a blessing! Since my chickens hatch and raise their own young, I have them in 4 different age groups and it's fun to watch them all work out their 'pecking order'. We are supplying eggs to our local Food Band as well as selling them. We sell on the honor system and get anywhere from $3 to $5 a dozen.
Plus we get eggs for our own family....extra blessing!

I really believe that anyone who wants to be self sufficient should have some chickens. The eggs are good AND good for you. My husband and I also raise Bourbon Red Turkeys and Heritage Hogs. All for the enjoyment and for the possible necessity.

 

[Hinotori]

One week to go for the brahma hatching her eggs. I'd moved her because a specific jerk of a hen kept climbing in on her and beating her out of the nest box. Broke three eggs that way. I candled a couple days ago and removed the one clear egg so she's down to 10 eggs. One got cracked about 3 days ago (just simple crack membrane was fine), but I waxed the crack and put it back. It's still doing good and hopefully will make it the next week.

I had a silkie go broody a week ago who was sitting on her own eggs. I didn't think they were fertile. Didn't think the cockerel had figured out what he was doing yet. He'd only started mounting her about a week and a half ago. (They are 8.5 months old). She was on 6 eggs and was having a hard time since everyone wanted to sleep next to her, so I decided to take some away. I had candled and was amazed to see a little veining with two definite and two maybe. I removed the two clear. Tonight I candled again and there were four little specks in there moving around. "Ah! The bright light! Where is it coming from?" So nice to see specks bigger than just the little beating hearts.

 

[TanksHill]

and Heritage Hogs. .

Hello, I am wondering about your hogs. How you house them, the amount of space they take etc... Is it possible that you could start a thread and tell me a bit about them?

Thanks, Gina

 

[Hinotori]

So one of my EEs climbed in, beat on the broody, and crushed an egg yesterday. Killed that chick. That brought us down to 10 eggs. I think the one cracked egg died. I don't see any movement in there and the aircell isn't drawn down.

Of the 9 left, 1 is interally pipped, 7 are exterally pipped, and one hatched at 5pm. The broody is a good mama and couldn't wait to hussle the chick back under her after I checked it.

For a bird that was flighty and didn't like me touching her, she is very accepting of me doing stuff to her now. Three weeks of being hand fed special treats and lots of juicy fruits really helped her attitude.

 

[Cindlady2]

I noticed too the best time to "tame" a hen is when they're broody. As long as hey have their eggs they are happy. Petting and treats kinds reenforces the broody euphoria that they remember afterward.

Congrats on the hatch!

 

[Hinotori]

And we have 8 little chicks now. Mama is pecking me again. Says I need to not pick up her babies and make them peep. She's not biting, though. Just gentle pecks.