Broody Hen, broody again.

Good ol’ gal, yes she’s setting again. Although she tried midwinter, I knew the weather wouldn’t hold out for her so I stole her eggs away. Now that winter has seemingly ended and the snow has dwindled away, the flock is buzzing around the yard. She seems to feel the quiet calm near the coop without the bustle of winter crowding.

She and I however are having some disagreements this time around. I’m sick of her taking over the most used nest box to hatch her eggs. Other hens lie on top of her, push her out, sully her eggs and add eggs that take precious body warmth away from hatching eggs.

So I made a decision to put her in my small Aframe now. She is not excited about this and after her morning routine time off the nest, paces trying to get back to her chosen spot. I found she does not settle on her own. Therefore it easiest to let her out of the Aframe so she can run to her spot clucking like a fiend and then I pick her up and put her where I want her.

I’ve given her just a couple eggs to get her started. I want to make sure she is settled and concentrated before giving her a real clutch without adding too many extra days to her laying time. If all remains well today I will put them under her tomorrow morning. I have collected good sized and round shaped eggs today and yesterday for hatching. I choose rounder rather than the more pointed eggs because of the myth that they are females. This proved good for me last hatch when I ended up with only 1 male in 6.

If she can settle the issue of the Aframe as her spot I hope that from here on out if she wants to go broody, she will choose to go to the Aframe. We’ll see.

Broody Hen Bathes Her 2 Day Olds

By the end of this bath, they were all tired and ready to cuddle.

6 of 8 Hatched to Date

Chicks hatched on day 20 and I don't think the dates are wrong. 2 to go, due tomorrow.

I think I see some barred prospects! 

I came to the realization that I am getting better at taking care of broody hens and their eggs! Yes, winners hatched proves it.  My first broody hen experience involved two hens each sitting on about 10 eggs.  Some eggs exploded, some did nothing and only 6 hatched out.  That's 3 chicks per hen.  My last hatch, Little Black Hen's first, involved her sitting on 10 or more eggs depending on if some one else climbed in the nest to leave her a new egg.  Four hatched that time and one fully developed but died trying to escape its shell.  Now this hatch, she set on 9 eggs, 7 placed under her one day and two more the next.  Two are left to hatch, 6 are out and one was unfertilized and eaten!  So already, much improvement. Yay nurture!

This top picture is in an upper nest box which sits about 3 feet off the ground.  I was delighted to come home after another long volunteer day to fuzzwads and glad to see none had fallen from the nest but they need to be moved.  Broody Mama was clucking her worries to keep them in that nest. 

Unsuggested by no other, I moved her in the day light.  Broody hens have surprised me at how well they take to circumsrtances.  I put my chicks and 2 yet to hatch eggs in a basket and carried my hen by the armfull to my aframe coop, which has been of endless use.  Put her chicks and eggs down in a spiraled nest of self collected hay I made and she jumped right in, huddled her chicks and rolled the two eggs under her.  Beautiful. 

More about this hatch:

Hats Off to My Broody Hen: a Two Hatch Wonder.

Chicks Cheaping! Day 19 For Broody Hen

 

Chicks Cheaping! Day 19 For Broody Hen

First pictures of these day olds.
First days of August broodiness.

First of all, what has transpired with this hatch so far?


Other Hens on the Nest.

After seeing a hen sitting on Little Black Hen's little broody head, trying to lay an egg in the same nest, I placed a curtain over the opening to her nest. This works great by the way; it keeps her mind on her nest and others out while she remains in the safety of the coop yet able to get out if completely necessary. Although, I do have to open the curtain each morning and anxiously watch her until she remembers her seemingly abandoned nest.

Egg Eaters

At 2 weeks with basket in hand to collect and candle her clutch, I let the chickens out and saw broody hen run out with the others. My heart jumped and I spotted the curtain hanging down because I didn't push the tack in far enough!!! How silly!!

All the eggs were covered in, yes you guest it, egg. Upset, nervous and disappointed, I rinsed the eggs and candled them anyway. I was more than worried, with no idea how long the hen had been off her nest, how horribly the remaining eggs had been viciously pecked and concerned for bacterial safety.
Mood swings:

How sad that they’re ruined. 

                              What horrible creatures eat their own eggs!? 

I knew I should have gotten out of bed earlier! 

Turns out the egg eating chicken, whoever it was, only ate one egg, which when candled at week one and looked infertile... not even a dark spot.

Candling showed 8 of 9 eggs looking normal, I suppose. Shadowing veins like inverted lighting revealed their web through thick shells. All seemed to have solid formed construction that floated with each turn of the egg. All except one, whose web drifted, torn and fluid in its shell.

My Forgetfulness

Now, on day 18, a horrible event happened. While in a rush to volunteer my time to pull weeds along a community side walk, so that synthetic chemical pesticides need not be sprayed, I forgot to let my chickens out of their coop today!!! Thank goodness there is ample space, enough for twice the herd size, but this horrible mistake didn’t hit me until my way home and I obviously, immediately became very concerned, very fast. Visions of early awaked chicks lying lifeless under a stampeding flock flashed in my minds eye.

I opened the coop door and heard broody hen clucking to life in her nest box, hungry for a meal and aiming to stretch her legs. I picked up a clean, warm egg and put it to my ear. The kissing chirp of a chick’s first words lightened my heart and settled my nerves. What a sweet end to a rough day.
Candling Eggs

To candle, I turn a reading light with a flexible arm upside down. Turn it on and let the fluorescent bulb warm up while I cut an oval hole in a piece of cardboard to place on the rim. This works perfect since the metal shade has a flat surface, therefore forming a good light seal. :P

Candling Websites that helped me get the idea of what’s happening and how to know when an egg should be removed.

Learn about Winners, Quitters and Yolkers at 4-H Embryology, Extension in Lancaster County, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)

Candling Pictures at shilala.homestead.com

Back Yard Chickens’ Candling Eggs Site

Find Vivid photos of candled eggs, inside and out at “Egg Candling and Break Out Analysis for Hatchery Quality Assurance and Analysis of Poor Hatches.” Cooperative Extension - University of California, Animal Science Department

Hats Off to My Broody Hen: a Two Hatch Wonder.

What went wrong with this hatch?
Pictures of hatched day old chicks.

With her chicks full grown and a casual climb up the social lattice after March’s hatch, this year’s broody hen has decided to have another go at motherhood.

A couple days ago Little Black Hen decided it was time to warm her feathers, bunker down and hatch me another batch of tweeters. After breakfast I was checking for eggs and she came running into the coop, straight up to a perch and stared into the nest box. She cackled, “Please, I thought I laid enough”, as she jumped into her nest and settled down (with no eggs). So I hand fed her some grain to show her no hard feelings and get her ready for some routine.

Even though I have been collecting eggs multiple times a day because of an egg eating outbreak she chose to sit on a nest for two nights and then yesterday all day without any eggs. This gave me just enough time to gather seven clean eggs. Unsure of whether she was serious I was anxious to see if she would be on her nest this morning. She somewhat disappointed me by charging out of the coop with the flock for breakfast. However, as soon as feeding was over she drank enough water to bloat her crop, proceeded to take the giant broody hen poop and then preened each one of her feathers, right down to her legs.  So I placed the seven marked eggs in her chosen nest and waited and waited for her to finish cleaning and find them.

When she came into the coop she jumped to the nest boxes and got a sharp peck on the head from a laying barred hen. Little Black Hen paused… frozen, eyes glazed over, standing just below her nest for five long minutes. “Do I really want to spend 21 days and nights sitting on hard lumps of calcium?” So I patiently watched for her decision. She took a peak into her box and a leap of faith into her nest for a nice end to August.

I hope these 21 days aren’t brutally hot and that raising chicks in September won’t be nippy. But for a hen that hatched chicks in March and raised them during freak snow storms, I give her love and all my luck (as little as that may be). Fingers crossed for all seven this time!

Little Black Hen's prior hatch:
First Hatch of 2011
2011 First Hatch Update

Hatching Chicks with Broody Hens 

Woah. It’s March people, what have you been up to?

My hens are going broody, the raccoons are out. The coyotes are enjoying the closest full moon they have ever seen and I am enjoying every minute.

Just skinned my first full body animal. I mean, the whole head is attached and will be made into some hat a Boston Irishman would possibly wear (well according to a Bostonian). :P      My rabbits, yeah I save their fur, but have just been treating them like chickens, chopping off the head pulling off the skin and taking the meat.  But wildlife, oh I have to respect that. Those coyotes are next… new jacket anyone? Hehe, am I bad?

Broody Hens in March

Now my current broody hen, it’s the black half-bantam female, well she is setting as early as geese and I hope I can even get a second hatch out of her this summer, but I bet I’m dreaming.  She seems to leave her nest at irregular times but always when the sun is out.  She eats, preens (every feather I swear), drinks and makes her way back to the nest within the hour. I happened to start reading the April/May, 2010 Backyard Poultry issue yesterday and learned some interesting things.  This issue by far was the most relevant read I’ve had in a long time.  Relevant to me that is.  Including some facts about the relation to egg and meat quality and some grains I have been supplementing, including oats. According to the article, “How to get more Eggs!” Oats have plenty of calcium and also make for tender muscles.  Excellent, because they are cheaper than most grains around here.
Also in the same issue, the article, “Herbs for spring Eggs and Breeding”, not only clued me in that in the wild hens will line their nest with herbs that are anti-parasitic, antimicrobial, anti-fungul, or serve as insecticides or even calming agents.  Needless to say I grabbed any suggested herbs I had growing inside and ran them out to my broody hen’s nest.

Rapist Roosters Or Unwilling Hens?

Now this very same article also gave me a reason to why my roosters seem to be rapists.  Well, because they are.  I have now become upset with my roosters.  This article educated me on the fact that roosters should be doing a courtship dance and then the hen will know to lie down, no harm no stress.  However since this mating ritual has been bred out of most chickens, like most other natural things, hens get feathers ripped out and are slammed to the ground, which can cause cuts, bruises, and sore spots ready for pecking and disease.  So now I have decided to take on the task of breeding “courtship” back into my flock.  If anyone knows of breeds they currently have or have read still own this trait, let me know.  But for now… research time.

I plan on reading Animals In Translation as soon as I can get my hands on it. Anybody have a copy?

FLOCK IMPROVEMENT

Also… best issue, I swear.  “Breeding for improvement” says when breeding to make a herd, I should be keeping only 10% of each hatch.  If I keep 10% of the whole I may not get the genetic diversity I am looking for.  So now I must remember to cull a few hens from last years hatch who just are not the size I am looking for.  Sorry girls, it’s for the greater good... of my meat and eggs. Hehe   I will however keep and line breed my rooster, Big White, because he is a beast! Actually he does do somewhat of a mating dance with his wing down and circling and such… it seems to be the hens who run off. Figures, it seems he may also be holding the wrong wing down… could that really matter that much?

Currently my flock is a sufficient egg machine for my needs.  With a total of 15 hens, 4 of which are over a year now, getting a dozen eggs a day seems like a good amount without wearing out the birds, crowding the nests or finding eggs everywhere.  This year I will be trying to add breeds with more weight and deeper breasts for a meatier chicken.  My broiler chicken from this last year tastes amazing! And is tender and juicy.  Oh and guess what, broiler hens lay eggs!

Broiler Layer

Here's my laying broiler hen who can't fit in the other nest boxes but enjoys this vacant rabbit house.

Chicken Crops: Constantly searching for supplements to my chicken’s feed, especially in the winter. Also, ask me about my mulching system (and force me to write about it) that had a temperature of 129degrees today and keeps my chickens warm all night in the winter… It also adds valuable microbes to help keep them healthy and worm free.

High Mowing Seeds
Lakeview Organic Grain

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Woe is me, the wind turbine. I am working on it: trying to get an anemometer that I can actually record.  So far I have the cheapest Lacrosse weather station available and it has no direct to computer data communication so far.  I have been hearing and reading about anemometers, chips and software and still do not know what is going on. RJ11, Transmitter signal, “connect a separate wire to the output of the amplifier following the magnetic sensor”, Dataq data logger … Help anybody?
In order of find:
Windmeter / Anemometer by Infidigm
The Back Shed
Picaxe Microtrollers from phandersons.cpm

HOUSE BILLS

OK and House Bill 0495 in NH, voted to ‘inexpedient to legislate’ or whatever that means. To me it sounds like yeah, it should be passed because the people want it; but what the republicans heard was “It’s not a state problem; other republicans didn’t care, so why should I; it’s a community or federal issue, not state” Thanks NH, thanks.  And oh yes I talked to one of these republicans who seemed very interested in the fact that 2,4-D, which is used on school grounds is related to agent orange but did not think he should care because some “well respected republican” had voted against the bill already.  He also went on to feel defensive and say “so all republicans are wrong?!.” Yes, our republicans are very level headed and think for themselves…

NH was also fighting for a medical marihuana law this year…. Again.
HB442 Woah, just learned last night. 14:3 committee vote…
IT PASSED the House on March 16th, 2011.  221:96 : to the Senate… Thanks NH, Thanks.  Keep up the good work. Apparently it takes 3 years to convince you.
Also, Rhode Island is trying to pass two marijuana laws. A similar law to Massachusetts where public use is only a fine and a private use law, which would make it “legal” to smoke it in your house. No, the Cadillac with its couch-like back seat and surround-sound-like audio system, is not your private property and can not be smoked in, in town. Too bad…

SELF DUG HOMESTEAD POND

Pond location before excavation.

Now, our fish/duck pond. I still haven’t posted on this long and involved project that needs an appropriate dam that will create energy to keep it thawed and a natural water flow.  The pond needs work but I researched, compared and realized I already have all the native grasses and weeds ducks prefer.  I need to find generator information and correct dam building help.  Anyone?
Aquatic Biologist, Inc.
Cultivated crops for ducks






It is between four and six feet deep in the center.

Inlet



Courtesy of Facebook friends…
Cat   vs   Internet

BTW totally found someone using my homepage image map idea

Anybody use Picasa? Slowest loading and stupidest photo center, I’ve ever encountered!!! Where is Iphoto for XP? Can anybody tell me???... !

First Generation Golden Sexlink Offspring: 2weeks

Check out this hatch on their first outing, their first dust bath and trying to determine their sex.

Hatching Chicks with Broody Hens

Check out my First Hatch of 2011 and the same hen's second hatch of 2011.
Also check out Raising Day Old Chicks



Red Jungle Fowl Female from The North East India Travelog

"The Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical member of the Pheasant family. While the domestic chicken was previously believed to be a descendant of the Red Junglefowl, recent research done by Eriksson et al. suggests possible hybridisation with the Grey Junglefowl.[2]"                     Wikipedia

Jungle fowl of the Phasianidae (Grouse, pheasants and partridges) family "differ from other members of the pheasant family in having, in the male, a fleshy comb, lobed wattles hanging below the bill, and high-arched tail."                  Britannica Online Encyclopedia


Grey jungle fowl

Why am I telling you this? Because I absolutely love research observations of the most primitive ways in which animals have survived and procreated and my dear chickens are descendants of these here.

BROODING HABITAT

An interesting study I found by a Robert A Johnson suggests a preferred breeding habitat of undomesticated jungle fowl in Thailand. Studying these fowl during 1955 and 1956 R. Johnson observed needs of breeding jungle fowl that many homesteaders today know: adequate protection, shelter, water, and limited disturbance.

Speaking of the eastern slopes of the Tenasserim range in Thiland, which reaches a height of 6,801 feet, Johnson states:

"Here, a bamboo forest area interspersed with patches of small deciduous trees and shrubs was the most favorable breeding habitat for jungle fowl I found in southern and central Thailand. Bamboo growing in scattered but tangled clumps, in a rocky soil which has been repeatedly burned over, seems to offer ideal roosting and nesting cover.  And, I believe, an abundant supply of fresh water, with a minimum of human disturbance, is an important factor in sustaining a favorable breeding population."1

What Does This Mean for You?

You will need a coop or densely tangled wad of bushes, delicious clean water, a hen that just loves to lay eggs, a Rooster to help and a routine that keeps you out of their way.

Let me add a little about whom roosters are: caretakers and protectors, bait and distraction, fighters of rank, lovers and flaunters. A beautiful representation of their dutiful spirits...

“Each dominant male led his little group of hens to the riverlet to drink, usually soon after they left the roost in the morning. They remained at the water supply only a very few minutes, and the male often watched from a perch aboveground while the hens drank. After that, he took one or two gulps of water and hurriedly led the group back into its territory by a different trail.”1


Breeding pair by Ujjal Ghosh

What Goes Wrong?

Obandoned nests, wrotten and unhatched eggs, predators. The good news:

“The breeding season appears to be of sufficient length that a given bird may make several attempts to nest. The presence of scattered eggs suggests a high rate of nest disturbance.”1

So if you're like me, forget your duties some-days, forget to close the chicken coop windows and a sneaky raccoon climbs in at night and scares your hen off her nest; immediately place back on nest or if all seems ruined, try, try again.

Here’s how it happened for me:

I got a little relaxed on collecting eggs and close to a dozen remained in two nest boxes for nearly a week in June. (help your hen go broody by leaving real or fake eggs in nests)

Two hens simultaneously decided they would cover these nests and hatched 6 chicks each 21-22 days later. (the required incubation period for domestic chickens) Nest boxes were on the coop floor at this time.



Keeping a feeding routine was very important to me and my hens. Morning and night feedings were a good time to check nests without disturbing broody hens on them.

Some popular opinions online imply that broody hens don't get off their nests more than once a day and for not more than an hour. Also that it is necessary to move them into a cage or keep them away from other chickens so they don't get distracted. I say let the chicken tell you if the setting is correct.

Check out this hatch on their first outing, at 2 weeks, their first dust bath and trying to determine their sex.

Check out these two sites for some more advice. Or ask me anything!
Tips for Incubating and Raising Chicks with a Mother Hen from the creater of the ICYouSee Handy Dandy Chicken Chart

Working with Broody Hens: Let Mama Do It from www.themodernhomestead.us


Before the summary of his article Johnson warns

"Firearms are scarce, at present, among these people. But the opening of roads to travel by jeeps and trucks is greatly increasing the amount of hunting and disturbance throughout the year. It seems unlikely, due to the rapidly changing frontier in a country which has no precedent for conservation concepts, that such examples of breeding populations can long endure."1 ...

1. Habitat Preference And Behavior Of Breeding Jungle Fowl In Central Western Thailand by Robert A. Johnson (1962) Indiana University                Electronic Version PDF (3pgs)