Good morning!
I have three mama hens out free ranging, each with six chicks each. I didn't plan it this way, but they all set within a day or two of each other, on very few eggs each, so I set a few eggs in the incubator right along with them, and stuffed chicks under as they hatched. It's been a few days and so far none of the three has lost any babies
I have another broody hen hatching her clutch as we speak (and me and my incubator right along with her :D ) and another hen is acting clucky about a fake egg in the coop, so tomorrow night if she's still on it, I will give her as many real eggs as she can fit. Then, the next night, I will move her to a better spot, as there are two RSL's in that coop that may flog her and eat her babies when they hatch.
Miss Piggy the Large Black gilt, and Buddy the Jersey bull are going to slaughter this month. I will miss them, but they'll be tasty. I guess I've been lucky--I've heard all sorts of horror stories about the meanness and aggressiveness of Jersey bulls. I've raised five (six?) so far well into adolescence and adulthood, and all of them have been giant puppies. Jaye was wild and cantankerous when we got him, but he learned to make nice and play gently. I never would have thought it possible. I always thought cattle were dumber than birds! Buddy is a big bundle of hormones, and I can't turn my back on him for too long. Not because he's mean, but because he thinks I'm sexy LOL. I know it's time to face him in a hurry when I hear his breathing change, and he usually backs right down. The rare times he doesn't, a light flick in the nose does the trick. Otherwise, he's so calm and gentle the only danger I am in is from getting sloppy spitty bull tongue up my nose or stuck in my hair. Those tongues are as rough as cat tongues. Gross. Buddy would make a good work ox, but he'll be delicious. There will be other Buddys, and in fact, we have two more growing out. These ones are steers though. The biggest problem we had with the bulls was them, er, riding everyone and everything--we lost four young steers to Buddy last year before we figured out he was humping them to death. From now on, every male is neutered post haste. I'm so glad we didn't lose our one heifer to Buddy's, er, attentions.
DH wants to breed Cash (the heifer) this coming summer. I'm not so sure. I never wanted to keep or breed large livestock at ALL, and his pig project certainly didn't go as planned so I don't feel ready to tackle breeding with cattle. So far, I'm liking buying drop bull calves and raising them for the freezer. There's still an emotional investment, but to me it's like dipping only one foot in a cold swimming pool. If we start breeding our own, we're all-in like it or not. I got in over my head with the pigs, even though I knew I might. When Pink destroyed and ate her entire litter except for Hamlet, it was the death knell for me breeding pigs for slaughter, or for anything else. I wanted to sell them all then and there. Instead, DH convinced me to bottle-feed Hamlet, in the house, and now at three years old (not in the house anymore, thankfully), he's a five hundred pound sucky pet boar. Enough of that. Enough pets. I like my food friendly and easy to catch, but I don't want to love them to the point I spend thousands keeping them around and/or can't let go without heartbreak when they're past their best-before date. Richard has been talking for YEARS now about getting a vet in to castrate Hamlet so we can eventually turn him into bacon (boar taint is most definitely in his maternal lines), but we both know the big guy is here for as long as he is well-behaved and manageable, and likely so are his testicles. Once Miss Piggy is off to the butcher, Hamlet will be the last of our grown pigs unless we pick up some weaners to raise for the summer. And, goodbye and good riddance. Raising pigs is worse than raising children: pigs don't ever grow out of the kindergarten years, where they are perpetually adorable, wonderfully curious and wanting to learn, but also tugging at your pants constantly saying "mommy, watch me. Mommy scratch my back. Mommy I'm hungry!" And, throwing the occasional temper tantrum. Which, in an animal that has a bite pressure that can snap a bone two inches thick in half, and solve puzzles that leave human children in the dust, is a sight to behold.
! 3 Old English Game Bantams, one year old mixed girl and Stella the Cochin. I'm getting worried that what has typically worked so far this spring is NOT going to work on a couple of these girls. If I had space to separate them I would let them hatch but I just don't. Why in the world didn't I stick with the no-nonsense hatchery girls that had no interest in babies!?
