It's hatching day.

[LWolf]

I have a mixed flock. They started out, 5 years ago, as buff orpingtons, australorps, silver-laced wyandottes, and easter-eggers.

I have 3 of the original flock left; (1) b-o, (1) austra-l, (1) e-e. Some were eaten, some given away, some lost to hawks, falcons, and owls. My old australorp hen is very broody, and a good mom. She, and sometimes the b-o, hatch out eggs every summer. I usually keep a few and give the rest away.

In June, I found her setting some eggs. Easy to do; since my hens free-range, they lay in different places and are always trying to find a new place to hide eggs. I find a lot of eggs, but never find them all. So she sat on the clutch for 3 weeks, and they didn't hatch. I knew it was time, and was checking on her frequently. One day she was just gone; had abandoned the eggs. So I cleaned them out and went looking. I found her on a NEW clutch; a larger one. Last year she hatched out ten. She handles big clutches just fine. I didn't get a chance to count, but I got to see her turn them a few times.

I was worried, because she doesn't eat or drink when she's setting, and she'd already fasted for 3 weeks. But she was alert and didn't want me around.

This evening I went out to check on her, and found her, still on the eggs, but with a bunch of dried out, active chicks. A few hours old, at least, but not old enough for her to have taken them out. I expect she'll be out looking for food and water, and teaching them, by tomorrow morning. I saw 3 gold chicks and 2 black. I went further out to do barn chores, and when I got back I counted 3 black chicks.

So, at least 6, but she won't let me close enough to count them all. They all scramble under her feathers when they see me coming.

I can't wait for her to get up so that I can see if any of the green eggs hatched. I've yet to actually hatch out one; I think the smaller easter-egger hen avoids the rooster. But the current rooster is a youngster, not so big, so maybe. He hatched out last summer; his wonderful, calm, gentle dad passed this spring.

[davidinalameda]

1. congratulations!

[uppityperson]

2. Congratulations. Sounds like you will have a surprise as to their colors.

[LWolf]

3. Yes.

The golds tend to be mostly gold, but may sport a few black feathers in the tail, or a rose comb if there is some wyandotte in there. The blacks have been, for the last 2 summers, feathering out as a mix of black and gold feathers.

One of the gold chicks had a head marking like the easter-eggers came with, so I'll be watching that one closely.

Last summer, I lost several to birds of prey. I even had a falcon come and sit on the 4-ft fence around my house, watching them.

This summer, they have a lot more cover. My harrow is broken, my weedeater is broken, and the mustard has taken over. While it's a problem for me, it will give them more protection.

The quail are hatching out all over right now, too, and they are in close because of the extra cover, too.

[uppityperson]

5. I hope you do better than I do, rooster:hen ratio.

We have the opposite problem that when the meadow grows too tall, coyotes can sneak in and grab them, so they don't get to roam then.

I bet they'll like to eat the mustard too. "look look look look look"

[LWolf]

8. NOBODY eats the damned mustard.

Or the perennial pepper weed.

There are plenty of coyotes around, but I have wire fence all the way around, and they don't make it onto the property.

There are plenty of weeds, bugs, and weed seeds to keep them full and growing. I used to buy some chick-starter, but gave that up when I realized that, free-ranging with mom, she's teaching them where to get food and water, and they eat the lay pellets without a problem, too.

[hedgehog]

15. My heritage breed chicks have never had a problem with food

whether I got them from the hatchery or had the odd couple finally hatch out here. One of the kid's teachers gave us a half feathered chick he found wandering around after Easter. It's a red feathered breed and I suspect was bred to be a broiler. I thought it was an odd looking hen until I finally realized he's a rooster. He is still funny looking and has a lot of foot problems. His feet are overgrown as if he has gout. He gets around OK. I suspect he was bred to come up to size quickly on a high protein feed and just didn't do well on regular chicken feed and grazing.

[hedgehog]

4. I don't know about the eggs - but I'M green with jealousy!

I have to go out tomorrow and throw out a batch of eggs that are sort of half way there but abandoned.:-(

[LWolf]

6. My hens have done that every once in awhile.

:(

They usually set again a few weeks later. Since those times were earlier than the usual, I've wondered if there is something about the length of day, or something, that triggers them, and they didn't wait long enough.

Which doesn't really make sense, since they never set until after the summer solstice, when the days are shorter.

But hotter. Maybe it's temperature related?

Or maybe they aren't hearing or feeling any life in the eggs?

I hope your hen/s begin again.

[hedgehog]

10. My problem is that whenever a hen gets broody, the other hens

take advantage and add their contribution to the clutch. Eggs get broken and the older eggs get shoved aside or buried under newer eggs. I've tried rearranging the nesting boxes, but haven't had much luck so far.

[LWolf]

13. Mine do that, too.

So ALL the eggs never hatch, because they're in different stages of development. Once the first bunch hatches, the hen leaves.

She's never broken any, but last year's clutch was massive. And ten of them hatched.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. How about some pics???????????

[LWolf]

9. I'll see if I can when she brings them out.

They're in a dark corner right now, hiding underneath her. As soon as they are out and about, I'll catch them. Meanwhile, here are a couple of pics of the flock 3 years ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=268&topic_id=1072#1091

[roguevalley]

11. i love chickens. hug a hen for me. :)

[LWolf]

14. I can do that.

:hi:

[BrklynLiberal]

12. They are beautiful...Thanks

[LWolf]

16. Well, I took some yesterday.

Not very good pics, as mom kept close guard, stepping in between and hurrying them into the weeds for cover every time I came near. But I couldn't upload them to my 'puter. This has been happening with my Kodak camera; one day it uploads fine, the next it tells me that there is a problem with the USB port not recognizing a foreign device. It's not the USB port; I've changed computers, and it still happens. Someday, when I figure out how to get them off the 'puter, I'll post them.

[LWolf]

17. Update:

I ended up with 4 gold, and 3 black; 7 in all.

The blacks will feather out a combination of gold and black, since they are Buff-Orpington/Australorp crosses. I've got 4 of those already.

The golds will stay mostly gold, although they may sport a rose comb or a few black feathers in the tail indicating something else in the background.

Two of the golds have markings on their heads; I'm guessing they hatched out of the green shells from my easter-egger, since she had those markings, as well. I haven't had a chick from her before, so I'm curious to see how they turn out. I hope at least one is a hen.

One of the golds may not make it. It's as big, and energetic, as the rest, but isn't walking right. It moves pretty quickly, but awkwardly, and spends more time sitting and less time scratching than the rest. We'll see. Mom keeps as close an eye on that one as the rest.

[Dover]

18. Awwww. What fun to have all that young chick energy around.

Sounds like a multi-ethnic group...lol. Hope your computer accepts the pics so we can see your
new brood.

[LWolf]

19. No luck with the camera situation so far.

I lost the gold chick who wasn't keeping up. No surprise, but still sad. Seemed fine Sunday night, dead Tuesday morning.

The rest are thriving, and little wing feathers are beginning to appear. Mom is such a good teacher. She has a special range of clucks just for the chicks. When she gives one particular call and bobs her head, they all rush in at the same time to center on what bug or seed she's pointed out. This morning she indicated the old juniper tree in their little yard, and they tried to climb it to reach a couple of ants. They couldn't get any higer than some extended roots, but it was entertaining. She keeps a close eye on them, and makes sure she stays between them and the rest of the flock. The rest of the flock accepts them as if they'd always been there. She found a grub yesterday; the rooster wanted it, and he came in doing the "rooster dance" to get her to back off from it. She fluffed up to twice her normal size, and he backed down. She hatched and brooded him just last year. ;)

They range out 3-4 feet from her at this point, and rush back if she calls, or if they realize how far they've gone.

[uppityperson]

20. I love how wide mom hen's language gets for the chicks.

Now this is a bug and good to eat, be careful going to far away and THIS is rice that the Big Ones bring us sometimes and it looks like maggots that are fly larva which are also good to eat and this is chickweed now don't pull etc etc etc. And the growling if a cat, dog or rooster comes too near, funny to hear one of my fluffy silkies growl at my 95 lb dog.

[LWolf]

21. I was just thinking that yesterday;

how funny it is to hear a chicken growl. But growl they do.

And the distinct differences in the way they talk to the chicks...I guess I'm easily pleased, but I can hang around and be entertained for hours.

[uppityperson]

22. not sure if I told you before, but our 1st batch was a mixed lot and 1 had a different language

Most of the chicks said "look look look" in a peeping chick voice, but a couple said "dah dot dah dah". It took a while to figure out who spoke differently, or had such an accent, but we traced it down to the Hamburgs. Even now, my 13 yr old hamburg still has an accent that I can pick her voice out of the lot when I can't see them.

[LWolf]

23. That's cool.

I haven't noticed that so much with the hens; maybe because my original mixed flock were all raised from day-olds together, without a hen, and the flock it has evolved into were all raised by the same two broody hens.

When I had, (and have, for a brief time after each new hatching matures) more than one rooster, their crows were distinctly different, though.

[bvar22]

24. Hey!!! Have a cigar!

Congrats on the new chicks.

[LWolf]

25. Update # 2:

At 2 weeks old, the chicks are healthy and "active" is somewhat of an understatement. They are amazingly quick.

At one week they were exercising their "wings," having grown a few wing feathers. They were also jumping up into the lower branches of bushes and jumping up to stand on mom's back to get a better view.

At 2 weeks they run and flap and catch some wind for a few feet. They are growing tails and shoulder feathers. They range farther from mom than I like, but return instantly when she calls them. In addition to bugs, seeds, and chicken feed, they like the tops of strawberries and the cores of apples. :9

It's funny to see them standing on mom's back. I'm wondering how long she'll put up with it. In the past, she guards them closely, and "teaches" them, until they are fully feathered, and then she begins distancing herself.

Of the 3 black chicks, 2 are already feathering in some of the gold from their mixed heritage. One is still fully black, but I expect some gold eventually, since dad is a buff-orpington cross who is mostly gold.

Of the 3 gold chicks: my prediction that the two with head spots came from green ee eggs has held up; both of them have feathered out brown-patterned wings and shoulders, one darker than the other. Both of them hatched with orange legs that are now beginning to go green.

It's WAY too early to tell boys from girls.

My grandson was here visiting yesterday; he spent an hour out sitting by where the chicks were hanging out so that he could watch them. I've had chickens since he was born, and we've had chicks every year for the last 6 years, but he never tires of them.

Neither do I.

[EFerrari]

26. I'm weighing whether to start a flock or not.

The last time I had chicks it was because my little parrot snuck into the coupon drawer, ripped up all the coupons and laid her eggs there. Imagine our surprise. :)

She was a great mom, though. We mostly just had to stay out of her way. I don't know about having chicks here without a mom.

[LWolf]

27. A flock of parrots, or chickens?

Chickens are absurdly easy to keep, once they've feathered out of the down they hatch with. They really aren't too hard to brood, either. They hatch with down, and on their feet and moving, and eating and drinking, on their own. All you have to do without a mom is keep them warm enough until they are fully feathered and can do without extra heat.

With a mom, I don't have to do anything at all, but they aren't as well socialized, since she guards them so carefully.

[WhiteTara]

28. what a great day!

I look forward to my life with chickens by next spring. I'll see about the rooster...I have a neighbor who has already informed me she is "concerned" about my chicken coop.

[LWolf]

29. What are you zoned for?

I had 4 hens when I lived in town, but my neighbors didn't complain. They free-ranged around my fully-fenced lot, clucked charmingly, kept the bugs down, and kept me in eggs. Hens WILL cackle to announce an egg.

Roosters crow, and not just at dawn. I've got one, although I had 3 at one point. My neighbor has one. We hear the crowing, but it fits in well with the doves, the quail, the horses, and the sheep, and we're far enough apart that it isn't loud.

Unless you want your hens to hatch eggs, you don't need a rooster. If you do, make sure you choose at least one hen from a breed that is still "broody;" Broodiness has been bred out of many of the production strains.

[WhiteTara]

30. I live in the country, but my house and my neighbors

are smack dab together. Isn't that a stupid plan in building?

Thanks for the tip in the broody factor. I hadn't given that a thought. What breed do you suggest? I'm open to everything.

[LWolf]

31. There are so many to choose from!

Here's a link to a hatchery; you can browse their catalog to get an idea of what interests you:


http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

There are lots of hatcheries; this one just happens to have a broad selection, some pics, and a decent description.

For even more pictures, try:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

I like the heavy breeds, which eat more, but are calmer. I also like the easter-eggers that lay green eggs; they are auracana/americana crossed with other breeds. Some people love banties, which are much smaller and great brooders (expecially silkies;) their eggs are small in comparison.