Murphy's laws of poultry keeping...
Aug 11, 2013 19:17:30 GMT -5
treatlisa, tuppyandjess, and 4 more like this
Post by dunderi on Aug 11, 2013 19:17:30 GMT -5
SOOOOOOO...... I've bee waiting for one of my many hens to go broody. with the slightly warmer weather they've all been laying up a storm, so surely only a matter of time, correct?
wouldn't seem so. they all insist on being out and about in that glorious sunshine, only visiting the nesting boxes for their daily contribution to the omlette fund.
so over the Friday-Saturday period i cranked up the incubator (its a new one, given to me by Lillien's kindy to see how it goes, they only want it for one hatch a year at easter time) and after the testing to make sure it held temp/humidity & the turner works, I loaded her up with 48 eggs.
they've been in there for slightly over a day.
i now have 3 broody chickens. one Croad Langshan & two GL Wyandottes.
/facepalm
so for "ye who art interested in the ancient art of fowl raising" i thought i'd post some pointers.
1) the best way to get your chickens to lay plentifully is to talk about chicken soup, while sharpening an axe in sight of the coop
2) when you've finally for eggs to hatch from a breed you're desperate for, all bar one will hatch as cockerels
3) when you don't want to use the incubator, none of your chickens will be broody
4) the best way to get chickens to become broody is to fill your incubator
5) if there is a chook-sized hole in the fence to the veggie patch, it is best found by planting new cos lettuce and free ranging your hens
6) if you buy a batch of baby chicks since your birds aren't setting, two days later a previously thought missing hen will march out from under some bush with 35 babies of her own.
7)DMBENSON If you purchase an expensive incubator more or less specifically to hatch heritage turkey eggs, and your turkeys haven't laid an egg in 2 months, and you put some chicken eggs in it because you simply HAVE to try it out - your turkeys will begin laying everywhere 2 days later!
8)DEBBIELINCOLN After butchering all the young roosters from the spring hatch, the very next day your best buddy who has (had) one of your nice, kind roosters will announce that he died unexpectedly and they need another.
9)LIBERTYFARMS You've waited patiently 23 weeks for those first pullet eggs...all to have your poor pullets get pox, and/or the neighbor's dog decides that they were too easy a target up to this point and NOW they are the perfect size to chase and kill.
10)LIBERYTFARMS You've waited a whole extra month (or two) to cull the extra roosters from your incubator hatch cause you want to make sure you're keeping only the most attentive, least aggressive of the group...culling is done and your favorite rooster up and dies the next day
11)ELNINI The chances of a chick making it to adulthood are inversely proportional to it's cost.
12)ELNINI Foxes can smell the difference between layers and freeloaders and don't like to sully their tastebuds with slackers.
13)JANOKPLACE The minute you build your coop taller, some critter will dig deeper...The day you dig the fence down further...DH will forget to close the coop.
....
anyone else got some to add? (i'll edit this post to update)
wouldn't seem so. they all insist on being out and about in that glorious sunshine, only visiting the nesting boxes for their daily contribution to the omlette fund.
so over the Friday-Saturday period i cranked up the incubator (its a new one, given to me by Lillien's kindy to see how it goes, they only want it for one hatch a year at easter time) and after the testing to make sure it held temp/humidity & the turner works, I loaded her up with 48 eggs.
they've been in there for slightly over a day.
i now have 3 broody chickens. one Croad Langshan & two GL Wyandottes.
/facepalm
so for "ye who art interested in the ancient art of fowl raising" i thought i'd post some pointers.
1) the best way to get your chickens to lay plentifully is to talk about chicken soup, while sharpening an axe in sight of the coop
2) when you've finally for eggs to hatch from a breed you're desperate for, all bar one will hatch as cockerels
3) when you don't want to use the incubator, none of your chickens will be broody
4) the best way to get chickens to become broody is to fill your incubator
5) if there is a chook-sized hole in the fence to the veggie patch, it is best found by planting new cos lettuce and free ranging your hens
6) if you buy a batch of baby chicks since your birds aren't setting, two days later a previously thought missing hen will march out from under some bush with 35 babies of her own.
7)DMBENSON If you purchase an expensive incubator more or less specifically to hatch heritage turkey eggs, and your turkeys haven't laid an egg in 2 months, and you put some chicken eggs in it because you simply HAVE to try it out - your turkeys will begin laying everywhere 2 days later!
8)DEBBIELINCOLN After butchering all the young roosters from the spring hatch, the very next day your best buddy who has (had) one of your nice, kind roosters will announce that he died unexpectedly and they need another.
9)LIBERTYFARMS You've waited patiently 23 weeks for those first pullet eggs...all to have your poor pullets get pox, and/or the neighbor's dog decides that they were too easy a target up to this point and NOW they are the perfect size to chase and kill.
10)LIBERYTFARMS You've waited a whole extra month (or two) to cull the extra roosters from your incubator hatch cause you want to make sure you're keeping only the most attentive, least aggressive of the group...culling is done and your favorite rooster up and dies the next day
11)ELNINI The chances of a chick making it to adulthood are inversely proportional to it's cost.
12)ELNINI Foxes can smell the difference between layers and freeloaders and don't like to sully their tastebuds with slackers.
13)JANOKPLACE The minute you build your coop taller, some critter will dig deeper...The day you dig the fence down further...DH will forget to close the coop.
....
anyone else got some to add? (i'll edit this post to update)