I went up to the coop this morning to find her 2 little ones dead. I checked them last night and the eggs were not pipped, but this morning they both had perrished. I was so shocked to find them dead. They were completely out of there shells and looked perfect, she was still sitting on them. When I saw them, they looked like they were sleeping until I picked the frist one up, it wasn't moving and the second one the same thing. I wonder what could have happened. They were both dark colored with yellow bellies. So upset this morning. This was her first time sitting on eggs, maybe she needs to mature some.
Cathy
Silkie Mamma #2 Babies
Cathy, I am so sorry for your hens loss. To me it never gets easier to lose a chick. You would think after years of doing this, we would be able to get over it easier. So far, no luck for me. The babies may have been too weak to thrive on their own. Unfortunately, that happens all too often. Maybe next time around for her, sounds like she will be a good mama!
Belinda
Cathy and Belinda,
Sorry to here of the little ones.. I was told by my sons bus driver
she had lost 8 of hers and it's because the momma hen was to
cold or the momma had moved off the eggs over night to see them poor little ones I can feel for you both.. I never had the chance to have eggs hatch but maybe this year.. Hope the next
eggs hatch for you.. Best Of Luck!!!!
Tracey
So sorry Cathy! I know how hurt and dissapointed you must be!
Cathy sorry to here about the baby silkies.. If it makes you fell better mine is not laying eggs but I don't know why maybe you
could help me out?????
Tracey
Awwwww, so sorry to hear about the little chicks.
Did the mama get upset and cluck a lot when you removed them ? Or did she realize they were dead, and allow you to take them away without a fuss ?
They are so protective of their baby chicks. Bless her heart, she was still sitting on them when you found them, ...............still trying. Makes me wonder how long she would have continued to sit on them before she gave up on em.
Nature has a way of taking care of those things, but it's still sad.
This message was edited Apr 15, 2007 3:47 AM
She must of known because she let me take them. Yes, they were still under her, there was no movement at all. When mama #1 had her chicks we couldn't get past the rooster for a long time to see the babies, he was on patrol. He did anounce the birth, he crowed all day and paced infront of the nest box, finally he left the coop and we were able to get her and the chicks out of the nest box to bring into the house. Mama #2 is still sitting in the nest box. I started giving her some treats, like bread and hard boiled eggies, she eats them right out of my hand. They were so cute, both were all dark in color with a little yellow on there bellies. They were fully formed, I was so surprised they passed.
How is the momma silkie now?? Did she move off them in the
night maybe?? Sorry for your lose.
Tracey
Well now Im beginning to wonder if this crazy weather has upset our mama's! I got home ahead of the front ( storm) yesterday , and ran around like a crazy person making sure every thing was safe from bad weather! I found mama going crazy trying to get out of the brooder Pen! I opened the door and out she flew! She had distroyed over half of her eggs ,(sadly, the Sultan eggs too) ! I thought maybe the eggs were either not fertile or ruined so I took one of the 5 that were left( one of the bantam eggs that I really didnt mind losing) and cracked it! It was fine but getting cold. I had to chase Mama down and catch her, and put her back on the nest! She didnt want to but she did! ( Whewwwww) so if things go okay she will hatch them on the 22 nd. After buying the brown egg chicks I really didnt need any more Barred Rocks ,so I was really looking forward to her hatching the two Sultans, Oh well, we take what we get, and happy for it! Now barring anymore storms going through here, maybe we can get down to business as normal as possible!
Tell me about it! Everyone here at our place has gone broody! Even my buff orpington and my bantam wyandotte! The weird weather ( more snow today, for the third time in a little over a week) has wacked EVERYONE out .
I'm hoping one of mine will brood soon. No signs of it yet though.
One probably will though............especially since I got a great deal on a new
incubator WITH EGG TURNER, at the auction yesterday. Yea !
Today is the first day we've seen sunshine in about a week. Maybe that will cheer them up. I know it will help me !
Eufaula, that's terrible about your broody mama. She must have been terribly upset to destroy the eggs. I agree, this weather may be upsetting their normal habits. Springtime is supposed to be a time when they are able to rest and relax from the stress of winter. Hasn't been that way so far though.
Poor girls. I hope we don't jump from a hard winter into a miserable hot summer with no rest for them. They deserve some pretty days, not too hot and not wet and cold. I'm sure they need some rest by now.
We were blessed here, we only got 1/4" of rain so far. We are supposed to get 2"s of snow tonight, hope it leaves quickly. Last year we had a friend give us a new incubator he never used with an egg turner. All our hatches did so much better. I think not opening the incubator so much was the reason. The temps don't go up and down as much. With this batch due to hatch tomorrow we only opened the incubator twice to candle and then another time to put them in the old bator to hatch. DH has pheasant and quail eggs in the new bator.
All my silkies are broody except for mama in the house with chicks, as soon as I go in the coop they start to squack. My 2 little bantoms are lonely without them. And not to mention the roosters, they don't know what to do with themselves. I'm now waiting for the bantoms to go broody, then no one will want out of the coop. Who can blame them with all this crazy weather. I'm hoping I don't lose to many plants. My daylilies look terrible and my Iris, so many I have not seen bloom yet. I just got into Iris's thanks to a wonderful DG friend, another addiction, LOL. DH says I am not allowed to collect all the chickens that I see, LOL, but you never know. Why can't I have one of each, or maybe 2.
Cathy
Cathy I know what you mean! I Came home yesterday and found the first bloom on my Iris,and the others are trying to open! I guess we will lose all my Irises and lilies. The temperature just took a nose dive here . It was 49 just 2 hours ago and now its hitting 40. The wind chill is about 35.
My first Iris of the year.... My first Yellow! We may lose it but we can all enjoy it tonight!
This message was edited Apr 15, 2007 7:45 PM
How pretty. Hopefully you won't lose your others. I think my iris's decided to go on strike. They're pretty sad looking.+
I had all my annuals flowers out and they were looking so pretty and we had 2 nights of temps in the 20's. That's nuts for April here. I lost all the little peaches that were already formed on 4 peach trees I planted 2 yrs. ago. It was the first year I would have gotten peaches. sigh...........
No wonder our chickens are bent out of shape. I have one hen that has just started pecking a hole in her egg each day. She's done it for the last 4 days in a row. She just pecks a hole in it, then leaves the nest. Wonder why she's doing that ? Odd behavior.
E, your Iris is beautiful, and your foliage in that picture looks beautiful. All my daylily leaves were frozen and they are laying on the ground. I guess when this weather warms up I'm going to have to cut them all back so they don't look so terrible. Maybe if this weather starts to warm up things will start to look better. I was worried with the high winds last night that my power would go off, I have eggs hatching, and my greenhouse has all my annuals it, but Thank God, we didn't lose our power.
Peggy, I wonder why a chicken would start poking hole in her eggs? Is she eating the egg? They do love there own eggies. A friend of our had to watch her chickens closely, one of her chicks were eating all the eggs. She put that chicken down. I sure our girls are just as tired of this weather as we are, LOL.
Eu, The storms will be gone in no time just hang in their and the girls will setle down. Two days of warm ups yah. And Tuesday more rain yuck..I don't like the cold weather. I like spring, summer,and fall best. But mothernature con keep the snow..
My fruit tree is done for the year no fruit this year..Phoo..
How are the girls doing now??? KB said I couldn't get any more
chicks or hatch any not even for a friend..But I'm going to do 4
with out him knowing!!! It'll be fun I think... Sorry to hear about
the eggs loses..
cbrandenburg, How are your little ones???
Tracey
I copied this off a poultry fact sheet, it makes sense cuz when one is eating something all the others get frenzied cuz they want some too...
*** If you do catch an egg eater, cull her from the flock at once. Egg eating is a bad habit that will multiply the longer you let it continue. If one hen starts eating eggs, other hens will soon follow.
Prevention is the only proven treatment. Collect eggs often and collect eggs early in the day. Most hens will lay before 10:00 am each morning. The longer the eggs are in the barn, the better the chance it will be broken or eaten. ***
I seem to recall somebody posting about an egg eater. Don't remember if it was this board or on a poultry forum. Something about feeling the hens faces when they went to roost to find out which ones were responsible...lol, was quite the mental image. I can't recall how they treated the problem though. Maybe they will pipe up...
Good luck. I know a LOT of folks feed their chickens boiled eggs mashed up with the shells. Good for them. I think the boiling part is to disquise the fact they are eating what they produce so they don't just help themselves...lol
~Julie =0)
Well , we managed to get through last night okay! We werent haveing a good night though, some of the winds got up to 50 miles an hour! The trees were bending almost in half! I guess though the wind kept any ice or frost from forming so that was a good thing!
Well Mama is still on her nest! I let her out for a run then back she went to her brood! When I said she had broken her eggs , I guess i did nt make myself clear! I dont believe she purposely broke them, but got upset with the weather and it scared her. I think she tried to get up or she jumped from nervousness and broke them! She is being very attentive to the ones that are left! We Will see by next Sunday or Monday , if any survived!
Yes, I agree. An egg-eating hen is a potential candidate for the stew pot.
No room in my coops for that type behaviour to start affecting the others to do the same.
She's a nice big plump one too. It's too bad though, she's only about 10 or 11 months old and only been laying for about 5 or 6 weeks. I sure hope it dosen't come to that.
Eufaula, sounds like you've had some really bad weather and storms. I'm glad to hear that your hen didn't destroy her eggs on purpose. Poor little hen.
She must really be afraid of the storms. I don't blame her..... Me too.
Hi lady's,
My son's bus driver told me I should cut the flight feather off chickens. What should I do?? She also tolded me to pull them
Out . What should I do?????
Tracey
I have new pics.
Tracey
Tracey, this is the site that I first used when I started wing clipping - - - I think it will help you tremendously. It is relatively simple to do and doesn't take but just a sec! Good luck!
http://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-wingclipping.html
Snapped a few pics when I was outside earlier, this was my latest surprise from "Cosmo" the barn cat...........I love this time of the year, everywhere I turn there is something else being born! What a treat. :)
Belinda
Your kitties are so cute!!
Now HOW did I manage to miss your Kitty babies???? Arent they something!! How old do you suppose they are Belinda? Will they be barn cats or will you adopt them out?
I love the tabbys, but that black is so precious!