Allotments 4 All
Produce => Kept Animals => Topic started by: Heldi on April 30, 2006, 01:44:07
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Oooooh beggar I've got a broody! Aeryn Sun. Have tried taking eggs away from her and all the things that one does. Given up..too much like namesake...except... she is getting picked on when she ventures out of the nest for a drink...quite viciously. It's been going on for a while now.Had a thought..Dicky down the lotty has eggs for the hatching...bantams french wyandottes. ...yes he will give me some eggs to shove underneath Aeryn Sun. Watch this space as yet another part of the shed goes over to birds of the chook variety.
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What does 'broody' mean, please? Is it like us when we see cute babies in prams (or asleep in cardboard boxes)? ;D Do you think that the poor little thing's seen too many easter-egg cards?
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It gets an urge to sit on eggs. Just what's needed if you want to hatch some chicks, but a nuisance otherwise.
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Aha Robert, I've had it all explained to me via PM....wimmen and their hormones, eh? :o
But why do the others pick on her, please?
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I don't know why they pick on her Alishka. I was quite shocked to see it myself. She is still broody so OH will hastely make a quiet corner for her where she can sit,still see the others but can't get pecked.
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Oh if she was the top of the pecking order the others have established a new pecking order and reminding her she is bottom right now.
My broody was not top just bottom so they left her alone and got on with things.
So babies in a month? spring is here ha ha
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so it's like being in purdah? :-\
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Ah ha Teresa that explains alot. The hens to most have a go at her were the last ones in and the ones that were definately at the bottom of the pecking order.
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I always think of hens like naughty school boys,
they will fight ,squable and pick on each other then next you see they are the best of friends.
If they see blood well cannables.
I went into the run once with red nail varnish on my toes never again I got out very quick they were all after me. Oh well we learn.
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Hen antics are a continuing source of delight,amusement and even quite shocking sometimes!
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This evening we have sectioned off a part of the hen house. OH made up a new nest box, then we went down to Dicky's allotment and he gave us 12 eggs. Broody hen is now tucked up in her new apartment, sitting on some wee bantam eggs. Aw. (And there was me telling everyone that I don't want chicks...ho hum!).
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Oh Heldi,
You most likely know all about this but may be of some interest to others reading.
I found this chart realy good from day 1-21 have a look new life is great
http://p072.ezboard.com/fbackyardchickensfrm30.showMessage?topicID=31.topic
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Hey teresa thanks. :) I'm going to show that to my son.
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Heldi your welcome print it off for him and you can both track each days progress untill hatching. Oh course not all make it for one reason or another but its nice to see what is happening inside the shell.
Beware this can get adtive ha ha.
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Heres a pic of Aeryn Sun hr very own nest box sitting on her eggs. She will have sat for six days by this evening.
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Oh love the house shes lovely, what is she and how many eggs is she on its so exctiting mine just hatching in incubator 4 so far another 4 to go I hope.
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She has 12 eggs underneath her. I was sure it was too many but the guys on the lotty said I had to make allowances for some that might not hatch. I'm still a bit worried about the amount of eggs but it is lovely to see her sitting there everyday and when I see her I can't help but be excited! She makes lots of delicate chirping and clicking sounds. Its just so sweet!
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Congatulations on the arrivals in a fortnights time! Robert has it right , though, broodiness is more often than not a pain in the nestbox and puts your best layers out of action and out of sorts and clogs up your nestboxes no end. So here is the solution, learnt from my father: wait till the bird goes to the nest, give her about two minutes, no more, lift her off and then launch her into the air, carefully but firmly so that she has to fly about three or or four yards. Dad used to reckon that you need ten feet of elevation but he was from Wiltshire and they have a cavalier attitude to broodiness there; less is OK. This may sound odd but it works and it stops you getting increasingly irritated with your little darlings.
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Well I have heard of putting them in a cat basket supended in a tree to cool them off and putting them in cold water now send them flying. Its all very interesting how to change a broodys mind.
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Thanks HO ,I'll bear that in mind if one of the others goes broody! I have wondered what to do if another starts getting the motherly instinct and no doubt this broody will be broody again at some point. I can't give in to all the of them !
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Dad used to reckon that you need ten feet of elevation but he was from Wiltshire
Why am I thinking Fawlty Towers here? ::) ;) :D
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I'm not going to beat them with a branch if thats what you're thinking!
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Well if they ( hens) were humane the doctors most likely would give you a tablet. They seem to have tablets for everything these days ha ha
Instead of hormone replacement perhaps hormone deplacement. hee hee wonder if their is such a thing never mind the word?
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Heldi, I want to see a daily picture update once they've hatched ;D
MM x
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I'll try my best MM !
10 days she has sat. I'm getting all nervous now!
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You and OH will have to pace up and down outside the nest box nearer the time ;D ;D
MM x
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Oh 11 days to go.
Only had one hen to hatch chicks. That morning I went in to her and heard cheeping realy magical moment.
Now very clean cut with incubator but still magical to hear the first one cheep.
I did candle one egg once and saw the head and beak that was great.
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Teresa, what do I do when they hatch?!! Do I throw in some chick crumbs and then let mother get on with it? I'm panicing now. Eeeeeek!!! Why do I always throw myself in at the deep end?!!!
Also, I don't think I've mentioned it on here yet...OH bid on six buff orpington eggs on ebay...and got them. They arrived on Friday. We are scrabbling about wondering what to do. (deep end again). No one on the lotty has got a broody to lend us. Non of our other girls are looking like they want to sit. We are pouring over the net and through mags looking for a small incubator. I'm in a panic about this aswell.
If we do go down the incubator root...what do I need to know? I am wondering what you do with the chicks when they hatch and they aint got mother hen to look out for them?
Talk about deep end.I think I've jumped into the Pacific...oh no SHARKS !!!!!
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Ooooh news just in...OH is at the lotty now. Dicky, the guy who gave us the banty eggs for our broody to sit on, has got two broody banties now! He has offered to lend us one to sit on the orpy eggs lol! OH is busy clearing out yet another part of the shed,setting about constructing another nest box and Dennis is preparing to move apartments. Will six orpy eggs will fit under a banty... I don't know? :D
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simple solution Helds....choose the banty with the biggest bum ;D
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I now have one of Dicky's banty's officially sitting on 6 orpy eggs...though I haven't seen it yet ! Not been to lotty since Saturday.
Hopefully OH did choose the one with the biggest heiney...heehee!
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Oh Heidi,
Broody will take care of chicks, first 24hrs normaly stay under mums wings recovering and drying off.
When they venture out with mum, a enclosed aera is best put twosaucers in one for chick crumbs the other for water not too deep so they dont drown.
bantam chicks I have used a jam jar lids. Make sure water is always clean and available for them. My chicks tend to wash their feet in it and can get quite dirty.
Take their heads and dip their beaks in the water once or twice they get the hang of it. Broody will encourage them to eat.
They can survive for 3 days on the yolk they asorb from the egg but need to get water down them.
Then its plain sailing.
So OH has his eggs under banty hope bum is big enough, ha ha.
Do take a photo of banty on eggs love to see her.
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Do take a photo of banty on eggs love to see her.
So would I, they could be my buff orps she's sitting on ;D
MM x
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Thanks teresa,I'm so glad you're here to help!
It just so happens....
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Hi Heidi,
( It just so happens....)
What has happened now you have me worried?
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Those were taken last evening. The banty seems to be coping with the big eggs! So fingers are well and truly crossed teresa and MM !! She will have sat for 3 days by this evening. OH did a great job of the new pen and she seems to have settled in nicely,despite Dennis being nextdoor to her! He is sooo noisy! He can't see her though, I hasten to add.
Aeryn will have sat for 17 days by this evening. I could hardly see her in her nest box last night. I was worried for a bit but then she popped out for a drink and a bite to eat, a poop and away back into the nest!
We might split the new pen in two and put Aeryn and her chicks in there, we are feeling it might be better for her.
Funny thing...the banty (I'll have to name her even though she isn't mine..any ideas?) Anyway, she is probably the mother of one or two of the eggs Aeryn is sitting on! So now you can see what kind of banty the chicks are going to be!
;D ;D ;D
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Sorry teresa I forgot to add the pics lol! Too excited. They are up there now!
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Oh pic's I realised when I went back in after I posted. sorry.
She is beautiful and OH has done a lovely job.
When do you need to return the banty?
Just wondering if your hen will adopt the chicks some can be funny.
Well we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
You can always divide the run and have both in it, this way they see each other with out chicks escaping accross.
fingers crossed for the 24th if I have it right first batch.
but do be carefull it is aditive I say that from experence hee hee I love hatching.
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She is beautiful
So why not name her Bella or Belle? 8) :D
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:-\
She is an English bird...it will have to be Bertha!
;D
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:-\
She is an English bird...it will have to be Bertha!
;D
A very fine name indeed 8)
"Bertha, Bertha
What on earth ya
Dooin with the neighbour's kids?
A-smotherin, a-motherin,
a-fussin and a-botherin
Ya bum's not big enough
this time."
"Oh yes it is, I'll have you know,
My bum's so big and fine
And when I'm done,
Den tells me.. "Hon,
Next Time they'll all be mine"
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Bertha it is then!
Black pudding Bertha ,she's the real queen of the shoooow!