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Barnyard Buddies:  i have a dumb chicken question  |
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gregs_lil_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
219 Posts
birdi
hartford
me
USA
219 Posts |
 Posted - May 13 2007 : 6:00:46 PM
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It feels like a dumb onw anyways. We just got chickens. Yay! Went for a very long ride to puck up some hens that were already laying. We intended to order more,but the farmer told us that these hens were fertile for 21 days and that they may go broody and increase the flock. We currently have ten.
We have nest boxes and we are getting eggs in 2 different boxes. (which we are leaving for now) Nothing really to lose, right? I understand that chickens wait until they have a clutch until they sit on them. Do they wait til they have all of them before they sit at all? We have seen a hen in there sitting, very minimally. very little. Will someone sit one them? And I know that all of these eggs are not from same girl...got 3 in one day. they share the nest, but who mothers? I know it doesn't matter who does it...I'm just concerned that someone does. Do I leave them to nature and just wait ?
These are Buff Orpingtons and are supposed to be very good mothers. I was just wondering if I need to do something to encourage sitting or if they will do it on their own. I am hoping they have not abandoned the little eggs, I guess. Can anyone help me with this confusion? I'll read about it if you can point me in the right direction. Thanks for reading. I'm just excited about maybe baby chicks!!!
-Simple pleasures make my heart smile-
www.fouracrefarmgirl.blogspot.com |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2007 : 7:06:53 PM
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hey Birdi,
back when we had chickens and ducks that we wanted to sit on the eggs, we'd mark the eggs with an x..up to say about 7-8 eggs, then anything unmarked after that we knew were fresh eggs and we could take them out of the nest.
Other than that..I don't know much about raising chickens..but at least you could limit the eggs left in the nest to a certain number..and gather the others when the hen is off the nest...and by the way..congratulations on your new hen family.:0)
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
visit me at:
http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and at www.stliving.net
you can also check out my etsy shops at:http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com and
http://photosbytina.etsy.com
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 12:49:45 AM
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You usually just have to watch them and see who really wants to set. Some just love it and some will never do it. When I get one who wants a family I move her and the eggs I want to hatch (not just her eggs of course unless I am doing a special breeding..then I separate sooner...and put them in a separate pen so that they have some peace. If you don't the other hens will usually peck the little chicks to death...had that lovely experience more than once and learned my lesson. You can tell who really wants to be a mom by who won't get off the nest when you gather eggs and pecks at you the most. The meanest hens are usually the ones who will be good moms in my experience. I have one little banty hen that can't weigh more than 8 oz that is the best mom ever!! She can sit on about 8 eggs and is so protective of her chicks that I don't have to worry at all. As for which ones are fresh and which are staying in the nest I usually mark mine (with a pencil) by making a ring around the egg so that no matter how it lays I can see that those are the ones to leave in the nest.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
Edited by - Aunt Jenny on May 14 2007 01:07:08 AM |
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Barnyard Buddies: i have a dumb chicken question |
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i have a dumb chicken question
