polecat
Platinum Member
Ok guys it finally happened!!!!!!2 of 6 eggs hatched during the night!!!....This is my first hatching ever!!!Have had many chicks b4 but always bought!!!..As u all know by past strings i also have 9 lethal predators runnin round..8 kittens & one mother cat...now the cats have never bothered the chickens ...ever!!! BUT!!!! my chickens ar true free range ..they go in their box at nite except 4 little red who built a nest behind my propane tanks..and hass been diligently awaiting the hatching....She went ballistic when i moved her and her 4 eggs and 2 chicks to the back porch where nothing can even get near her now.....
Here r my concerns!!!
can I take ehr chicks away as soon as they r all hatched ???
i was thinking of slipping a few new eggs to keep her laying...
my other 4 hens lay their eggs in different spots round the property but never really stay on them so i only have one "layer"!!!!!! one of the other hens lays her eggs under little red and ij have marked the originals with a sharpy so i know which ones are the original 6 and take the new eggs out....
will red stay on the nest till "all of them" are hatched if i slip in some new ones????
now chicks seem to b different than other birds if i am correct....they dont by any means seem to need the care of a "mopther " the way most ugly chicks do or am i wrong..
they are very active right now ...how do they get fed???by her??? or once all hatched do they fend for themselves under the wary eye of mom???.aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh help!!!
my real goal would b to slip in some new eggs and keep her on the nest...take away the chicks..and raise them without her......and by so doing....git more chicks...as she is my only layer....
I have not fed the chickens anything for 3 weeks or so as they scratch in the woods...grass,bugs, seedlings and all over the place and all seem to b fine....
Except 4 red who has been on her nest 4 3 weeks!!! i give her grain and water where she is nesting while the others r out foraging..so that she does't have to leave her nest area...i could take the chicks away and put her back to "sit" on new eggs if u think that'll work....slaughter all of the others and not have all of the rummaging round that i do...
should i grain the others hard 4 a few weeks to fatten them up???b4 slaughtering???
so many questions???what to fatten em up with..???
please help guys /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
am pumped though!!! this is so cool!!!! I have loved the fact that these chickens are scratching all round the place but am tired of chasin them off of the porch...its like puttin beef on pasture and then eatin it!!!.I want to thank all that helped me out in my " anyone have laying hens!!!!!
IE: GWS...MARK IN NH... BOONDOX....DLABRIE.....AND RICHZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
AND POPPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..I'm a proud"Grand poppa" now!!!!!!!
Git yer littluns chicks now!!!! Its so cool to watchem grow..6 were given to me late last summer ...have 1st eggs this spring....and now my first chicks born and layed here ever!!!
way too cool!!!!! i am phyched..and betta half has eggs sold at work..$2.00 a dozen!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
help please!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Here r my concerns!!!
can I take ehr chicks away as soon as they r all hatched ???
i was thinking of slipping a few new eggs to keep her laying...
my other 4 hens lay their eggs in different spots round the property but never really stay on them so i only have one "layer"!!!!!! one of the other hens lays her eggs under little red and ij have marked the originals with a sharpy so i know which ones are the original 6 and take the new eggs out....
will red stay on the nest till "all of them" are hatched if i slip in some new ones????
now chicks seem to b different than other birds if i am correct....they dont by any means seem to need the care of a "mopther " the way most ugly chicks do or am i wrong..
they are very active right now ...how do they get fed???by her??? or once all hatched do they fend for themselves under the wary eye of mom???.aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh help!!!
my real goal would b to slip in some new eggs and keep her on the nest...take away the chicks..and raise them without her......and by so doing....git more chicks...as she is my only layer....
I have not fed the chickens anything for 3 weeks or so as they scratch in the woods...grass,bugs, seedlings and all over the place and all seem to b fine....
Except 4 red who has been on her nest 4 3 weeks!!! i give her grain and water where she is nesting while the others r out foraging..so that she does't have to leave her nest area...i could take the chicks away and put her back to "sit" on new eggs if u think that'll work....slaughter all of the others and not have all of the rummaging round that i do...
should i grain the others hard 4 a few weeks to fatten them up???b4 slaughtering???
so many questions???what to fatten em up with..???
please help guys /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
am pumped though!!! this is so cool!!!! I have loved the fact that these chickens are scratching all round the place but am tired of chasin them off of the porch...its like puttin beef on pasture and then eatin it!!!.I want to thank all that helped me out in my " anyone have laying hens!!!!!
IE: GWS...MARK IN NH... BOONDOX....DLABRIE.....AND RICHZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
AND POPPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..I'm a proud"Grand poppa" now!!!!!!!
Git yer littluns chicks now!!!! Its so cool to watchem grow..6 were given to me late last summer ...have 1st eggs this spring....and now my first chicks born and layed here ever!!!
way too cool!!!!! i am phyched..and betta half has eggs sold at work..$2.00 a dozen!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
help please!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
