Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Snadger]

Checked all eggs and they are fresh!

[Nicos]

Probably helped by the recent cold weather!!

[Darwin.]

Is it alright to use an egg with a soft shell? I got one this morning.

[Nicos]

Don't see why not.
Was it laid in a clean area?
If so, yep it should be fine.
If in doubt fully cook it before eating it...(.or scramble it and feed it back to the chooks with cooked potato peelings mashed in with it so they don't realise they are eating an egg.)that's what ai do with a cracked egg.

[Pants]

First chickens

We just got our first chickens today. So excited. A pearl leghorn and a black copper Marian. They are all tucked up in bed. Look forward to seeing then again in the morning.

[veggiechicken]

How exciting!! They sound lovely!
Please add them to http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ave_25436.html

[Nicos]

Bit of a sad/interesting day for my flock yesterday...
AuVin has been head of the flock for about 8years now.
His brother died a few months ago, so we decided to keep a Marans male chick to replace him.
Yesterday Floki usurped AuVin....and is so, so proud of himself.
Poor old AuVin ....he's OK, but what a sudden change.....no major fight either.

Ah...the joys of getting old eh?

[Snadger]

My goodness its that time of year again! Two broody hens fighting for space in the nestbox and hens laying all over the place because they can't get in to the nestboxes.
Normally i would let them get on with it but i need to thin down my flock tremndously for when I move house to another area and only take a few chooks with me.

So its 'Boot em out' and keep booting them out to try and stop their broodiness!

[Nicos]

Yey!...got a broody!

Tis Ginger....the lass who hatched a few last time.
Looks like she's the only one who goes broody these days, and as she's getting on a bit in age cos she hardly lays anymore, we've decided to let her get on with it
8 eggs.
Don't really need anymore chooks, but we can give excess females away....
So...watch this space!
Exciting eh?

[veggiechicken]

Small but perfectly formed!!

[lottie dolly]

SNAP...SNAP...SNAP ,got layed tother day

[Nicos]

Ooops....Ginger has eaten one of her eggs
Maybe it wasn't fertile ( can they sometimes tell?) or she'd cracked it?????
Picked absolutely clean, and no sign of yolk anywhere.
So....7 still being sat on!
2weeks to go.
Always seems such a long wait!

[Nicos]

Update.
Ginger has eaten all but 3 of the 8 eggs.

Those are due to hatch tomorrow.....fingers crossed eh?

[Small pumpkin]

Happy chickens

[Nicos]

Update!

One chick

Out of 8 eggs, mom ate 5 whilst brooding and we checked the last 2 today and they weren't fertile
Strange....cos we have 2cockerels roaming with the gals.

Ah well....at least we have one likkle chick!