Good Morning! in 2018

[Killerbunny]

Jan - those are the same eggs that hatched and the babies died. Yours was labelled 23 for 23rd May, mine were older. I know which hen they were from, #59, she is a youngster but nice type. There seem to be a good number of males in the 10 others (a good thing) after several years of mostly females.
Quite surprised to hear Cheryl going broody, never showed any inclination here. It must be something you put in the water or all the other broodies pushing her hormones over the edge.

[windwalkingwolf]

Sooo many broodies. Probably a combination of that, and that she's never hidden 16 eggs under bushes before lol. It never ever occurred to me that a hen might crawl through a dense thicket of nettles and thistles to hide a nest, or else she wouldn't be doing it this time, either! I thought I knew all the tricks!

[SusanH]

So I made a nipple waterer so the chickens would not have to suffer the yuckiness the ducks make of the water trough. So far the only ones drinking from it are -you guessed it - the ducks.

I posted some photos of my Polish chicks under Games. I have a growing admiration for people who can capture chickens in photographs. Since mine are black, there's not much hope of seeing separate feathers. I will keep trying under better light conditions.

[Farrier1987]

Jan, good help is hard to find. I really appreciate @Busterbon my neighbors that have goats and chickens. We don't do it a lot, but if either one of us has to be absent, we know the other one will take care of things for the other. Might not do it exactly as the other would, but I can count on them, they can count on me. Good to have for sure.

[SusanH]

One of my Polish chicks has a bald spot, like a tonsure, surrounded by bare white feather shafts. I was assuming somebody picked his crest feathers, but they don't appear to be growing back. None of the other birds have this. I will try to get a picture. Do you think it's picked feathers or some kind of fungus or something?

[kenya]

Looks like pin feathers.

[SusanH]

What are pin feathers?

[Brebis]

Whoohoo I finally get to join the broody party with a chick!

I met KB at the Odessa show and she volunteered 2 doz eggs for my broody. I was only able to get 16 under her comfortably, but by the following weekend she was down to 8 and a very stinky box! They were due Monday, which passed with no action. I didn’t hold out much hope, and sadly on Tues I found one had hatched but didn’t make it. I left her until today in the slim chance just maybe...and there is one LIVE chick!!! I knew she had one as she had abandoned the box (and 7eggs) and was puffed in a corner. I had to use a stick to get her off as I didn’t dare risk my bare arms to her wicked beak.

Pretty poor hatching rate but hey, better than nothing!

[Killerbunny]

Oh dear sorry the rate wasn't better. Hope the one makes it. I bet the stinky ones were from the stash we found!

[Killerbunny]

Pin feathers are ones just starting to grow in.