Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Glutton4...]

Well, my incubator is fired up, and the eggs are inside! I will count tomorrow as day one, so they are due around 8th June.

Not sure I can stand the suspense!

[Glutton4...]

Today is day 7 - and I've had to put false nails on, to stop me chewing the ends off my fingers!

Who's blimmin idea was this? Oh, yeah, mine!

[Suechooks]

I'm getting eggsited now too - 8 days to go in the incy and 2 weeks for Phoebe with her Marans eggs!

[RichmondHens]

What are you lot like?

Here's a little tale that ends happily ............... Last week we had a power cut, day 18 for three eggs in my little incubator, but timed to hatch with one lot under a bantam, to add to hers. Couldn't squeeze any more under the bantam but also had one of my LF Orps sitting on another clutch a week behind, so bunged the incy eggs under her for 24 hours till we had power again then put them back in the machine. They all hatched and got added to the bantam's chicks, and then yesterday the Orp hatched six of her own. What a star bird, and first time brooding too as she is only a year old.

[Suechooks]

Well bless her little fluffy bum RH! My Orpington bantam is only young too but sitting like a pancake on her 6 eggs! Hope she keeps going till the end!

[Glutton4...]

Please, everybody, please check your electric fences regularly! Certainly more regularly than I have been; Foxy got in last night and took Goosey off her nest. She's been sitting on an empty nest for over a week, and refusing to get off to feed, so was probably too weak to fight. Down to just the two boys now. Thankfully the Chooks go in at night.

Very sad, and I feel very guilty too.

[polo]

What a shame G4. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but you shouldn't feel bad about it. We all do our best.

Just heard that a friend of mine lost 6 hens the other day because the pig has a habit of opening the hen house door in the morning - she thinks the pig opened it at night and a fox got in. She feels equally annoyed and has made the door pig proof!

And...... I'm looking after my friends 4 hens in the spare run for a week and came back today to find loads of silkie feathers all over the run. No signs of damage on the hen but something has had a go (I'm thinking the nasty cat that has a pop every now and again) The bigger hens seems to give it a run for its money but the silkie?? Feeling very lucky I didn't lose it!!

What a day!

On the other hand I got my first real novelty egg today weighing in at 11g.

Polo


xx

[Suechooks]

Oh dear G4 that's such a shame

[petal]

yep, must check electric fencing tomorrow. Gamekeeper shot a fox in the field behind us last week, another rspca urban fox release, it was starving he said. its the one thing I do not agree with, the rspca are inadvertently causing an animals suffering, urban foxes are not adapted to rural life.
Custard, a gold silkie has managed to hatch 3 pekins, she abandoned the others, she is a rather clumsy first time mum. Got ducklings hatching in incubator behind me as I type- little whistling noises!

[Glutton4...]

Oooooh, how exciting, Petal.

[RichmondHens]

Nasty moment or two the other day. Cat brings home a stoat, seemingly kills it, then drops it on the lawn where it promptly gets up and escapes into one of the chick pens. Mad minute or so where the cat is running madly round the outside of the pen, stoat on the inside scattering chicks left right and centre and broody hen screeching and flapping like a wild thing. Husband runs to get gun but in the meantime stoat escapes through the wire, missing jaws of cat and disappears into hedge. We did find it dead the next day however so it must have been fatally injured by the cat. And all chicks unhurt, thank goodness.

[Suechooks]

Wow! I feel out of breath just reading that Sally! So glad your chicks were ok though.

[Glutton4...]

Blimey RH! Bit of a fright there!

Incy day 18 for me.....

[polo]

Scary moment!! Bet everyone was flapping!!

[jessmorris]

G4 - just seen your post! So, yours are hatching tomoz, any peeping and pipping yet?!