First broodie of the year set today

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:45 pm

Peachy wouldn't get off the nest yesterday. So today I picked out 9 eggs and built her a nest in the little broodie cage I have, water and food in it, and moved her in. No squawking or fighting when I moved her, just sort of spaced out and cussing at me under her breath. Hope they are fertile. When I crack them into the pan, probably 80 % of them are, so we shall see. I don't candle or anything, just let nature do its thing. Works for me.

I will update in a while, whether that she really wasn't ready and ate them or sticks her head through the bars and tell me I jumped the gun, or she sets for three weeks and we have some babies. I think she will be fine, she has set two broods a year for the last two years.

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 7:01 am

Set my second broodie today, Blackie Wackie is her name, 9 eggs, my own carefully selected strain of barnyard mutt. Peachy's won't arrive in time for Easter, so when we have the big family get together, I wont have any chicks to dye blue and green and red and things. (I would not, before I start getting hate mail.)

They don't do it any more that I know of, but remember when the stores would have dyed chicks to give away? So cute and fuzzy and little kids could take them home and watch them die. And I remember being at the zoo in Calgary around Easter, and them feeding buckets of dead dyed chicks to the animals. Not terribly enlightened.

But I expect zoo's and other homes of carnivores still get lots of chicks from the hatcheries after sexing. Terrible when you think of it on a big scale, but us hobbyists have the same problem with the boys, but deal with it differently.

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:22 am

My girl Peach, screamed murder at me this morning from the nesting box....its that time of year!

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 12:12 pm

Penny wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:22 am
My girl Peach, screamed murder at me this morning from the nesting box....its that time of year!

the sounds coming out of nest box of my lovelies this morning was something between a cougar being a bit annoyed......and a bunch of hyenas having a disagreement

windwalkingwolf · Post by **windwalkingwolf** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 2:10 am

I am actually O.K. with male chicks at hatcheries getting ground up alive. Despite the graphic description, death is actually as instantaneous as death can get, and the little boy corpses all mostly go to pet food to feed our dogs, that protect and keep our own chickens from being killed. It's literally the circle of life in action.
Congratulations on your broody bunch! Are you ready for some more, yet? :decision:

Post by **Killerbunny** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 5:38 am

I am doing my bit for boy babies. I am getting Male BRs from PP. They will have a happy life for 20ish weeks and I will get heritage chicken to eat after they are processed. I couldn't face getting meatie chicks!

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 8:01 pm

Tomorrow is day 21. When I went to close up tonight, I pulled an egg from under her and its pipping. Shall see what we have tomorrow, but she's in the delivery room.

Farrier1987 · Post by **Farrier1987** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:59 am

One out and mostly dry this morning. Bunch of others pipping and peeping. Things will progress over the day I am sure.

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:38 am

Farrier1987 wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:59 am
One out and mostly dry this morning. Bunch of others pipping and peeping. Things will progress over the day I am sure.

I demand pictures! lol