The great broody experiment (new pics p 18)

[Beekissed]

Another chick! Makes three for red broody. Nice, big chicks from big eggs. When they are all hatched, I will try to get a pic to download....these are sure pretty babies. Well....all babies are pretty but these seem extra fluffy and vibrant, for some reason.

 

[me&thegals]

That's wonderful! Have fun watching your babies

I had a blast today giving the babies in our garage (no mama) a pile of earthworms to play with

 

[Beekissed]

It looks as if 3 chicks are all that are going to hatch. As soon as she got these, she cared alot less about the clutch. One had a very developed but cold and dead chick....the others were not developed at all.

You see, I'm trying to get more Doms, so I'm packing the clutch with those huge, brown Dom eggs. Apparently the roos don't favor those speckled hens with much breeding, as this is the second time I've had a hen sitting on duds.

Now, I have to worry about the whole clutch under the Aussie...she has all Dom eggs! I guess I'll just be content to get ANY chicks out of these eggs.

Live and learn.

When next I get a broody, I will let her lay her own eggs and sit on them! :/

 

[me&thegals]

That's what I'm starting to think, too. So far only 2 chicks. They are adorable, though. But 2 out of 12? I was thinking I would be realistic and only expect 6!

 

[ams3651]

I had one pipping this morning. Im going to go back out in a few minutes and check on her again. She's got 9 eggs, I hope more than one hatches.

 

[me&thegals]

That's great, ams! Have you hatched before?

 

[freemotion]

I think I might FINALLY have a broody!!! It is day two for one of my Dominique's. I stuffed six more eggs under her yesterday, I am not sure how many she was on, but George is getting old and doesn't cover too many hens per day, so I stuffed that nest.

Unfortunately, I have the two toms in the brooder pen, so I can't move her until the pen is vacated on June 1 or 2. She is in a high nest box that is very unpopular, think she will be ok until then?

I had also given up on the turkey pair for this spring, as the hen had broken up the nest so many times and finally stopped laying for a couple of weeks. Now there was an egg today. So maybe the warmer weather, after a freezing cold spring, is stimulating this new activity.

I think one of my silly guineas is also making a nest on a neighbor's property, she is somewhere in the brush making a racket all day, but still comes home to roost most nights. I searched and searched, but can't find it. If she ends up sitting, she will be a goner, because we have a lot of coyote activity here. They've even peeked in my neighbor's window, a slider in the back of the house. Sheesh.

 

[punkin]

Congrats!!

I've got a broody Dominique, too. She's on about 10 eggs. I'm kind of worried because she doesn't keep her nest very neat.

My broody buff is on about 13 eggs. She's doing a fine job.

 

[me&thegals]

That's great, Freemotion!

Our 2 chicks are now back with the new pullets. Their momma did a great job raising them, but we stuck them in with those their own age once she was giving them full independence.

We have a Black Australorp broody now, too, but we're not going to give her eggs to set on. With 70+ pullets right now, it feels like we have enough chicks for the year!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Chirpy, our broody Sizzle, has two new babies under her. One hatched yesterday, the other the day before..she has 5 more eggs that might hatch something!