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OT- Mommy finally hatched her first!

PoppasGrill
PoppasGrill Posts: 370
in EggHead Forum
This hen has been brooding for a little over a month. We marked the eggs , not all from her, and just took the newer eggs that were layed. She got in the habit of stealing other eggs from around her and slipping them in the clutch.
These are our first hatchlings, so will move her to a solitary coop with her chicks for a week or 2. Our hens are 80%free range, so she won’t like it, but it will keep the roosters away from the youngsters.
We raise chickens for eggs only, Gbaby and Grammy would disown me if I tried to eat on of our hens, as if I could, too soft hearted after raising them.
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Comments

  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,627
    Very cool!  Didn't realize hens would steal other eggs hoping to hatch one.  Mother instinct is strong!

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • alaskanassasin
    alaskanassasin Posts: 8,885
    Very cool @poppasgrill we can’t keep a rooster.
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


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  • alaskanassasin
    alaskanassasin Posts: 8,885
    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    Very cool!  Didn't realize hens would steal other eggs hoping to hatch one.  Mother instinct is strong!
    Your wife has never tried to kidnap a baby!?
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


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  • PoppasGrill
    PoppasGrill Posts: 370
    alaskanassasin said:
    Very cool @poppasgrill we can’t keep a rooster.
    We have 47 laying hens, 19 younger hens not laying yet, and 5 roosters/rapists ( they run in packs to corner hens, kinda creepy imho).
    Several different breeds. Leghorns, Silkies, RI Reds, and Bantam(?).
    None of the roosters are violent towards us, yet, and one is a dwarf silkie with a Napoleon complex.
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  • alaskanassasin
    alaskanassasin Posts: 8,885
    edited February 2023
    I heard that, I liked the look and sounds the roosters made but they were too aggressive with our hens, changed the whole vibe of the barn yard.
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,988
    edited February 2023
    alaskanassasin said:
    I heard that, I liked the look and sounds the roosters made but they were too aggressive with our hens, changed the whole vibe of the barn yard.
    Castrate them. Capons are docile. They will still crow after being castrated.  

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,451
    SGH said:
    alaskanassasin said:
    I heard that, I liked the look and sounds the roosters made but they were too aggressive with our hens, changed the whole vibe of the barn yard.
    Castrate them. Capons are docile. They will still crow after being castrated.  
    Scottie - YOU would be docile too!

    BTW my neighbor lady's grown kids bought her a Capon with her - not their money and Jan about croaked when she saw they paid $18 for it!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 6,396
    PoppasGrill said: and 5 roosters/rapists ( they run in packs to corner hens, kinda creepy imho).
    I've witnessed that. Creepy is right. I think I ended up with 2 roosters with 40 hens which cut down on the Law and Order SVU vibe.  The other roosters made excellent tamales.
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 7,317
    My brother in law and nephew had a rooster culling last summer once they got to fryer size. Then they were first smoked and then turned into soup. Nephews wife turned out to be a pretty good chicken plucker.
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