May 28, 2015

Good morning, Recently we purchased 18 chicks that would start egging about the time the rest of the hens have decided to take their regular winter egging sabbatical. A dozen eggs per week does not even come close to covering the feed bill for over 50 fowl.(chickens, ducks, and guineas).

Our plans were to put the chicks under a couple of broody hens. We had a couple hens in mind and were letting them sit on eggs to build their maternal hormone levels.

We did this a year or so ago and was successful beyond our wildest dreams. She had been on eggs for 2 weeks. And we put a chick under her. She clucked and chick said MOMMY!!! and the chick disappeared under the hen. The next night we put 6 by her and the same thing happened . So the next morning we put the rest under her. I might say it was the easiest raised chicks at the farm.

o we got 18 chicks and had designs to put 12 under one hen and 6 under the other (we did have the electric light brooder and 3 other broody hens in the “hall” so to speak. Well these hens had been on eggs for at least 2 weeks maybe longer. We put a chick under each of these hens and they were not going to have any part of our plans. A healthy “shucks darn” and then onto plan “B” with the other 3 hens.

These hens did not make the welcoming cluck but seemed to accept the chicks. We checked back later and all seemed OK.

Welll first thing in the morning I go and check on these hens. We were going to have to move these hens to a separate area for the chicks safety. I thought first thing in the morning would be best. When I went to check on the hens and chicks, there looked to be a dead chick in front of one of the broody hens. I thought it was dead but when I picked it up it barely moved. Clutched it up in my hand and took it into the house for Deb to hold it in her hand while I got a heating pad ready for the chick. I got this little girl situated and went back to check on the other hens and chicks. The half dead chick was from another hen and not the one I thought. It ended up being two silky hens that were to be mommies.

I may have rushed things a bit but I felt for the chicks safety, segregating the hens with chicks form the rest of the flock was the best idea.

This ended up being too much for one of the silky's and she rejected the chick. I thought some not so nice thoughts and put her chick under the other silky who seemed to think “this is no big deal”. My dilemma was, could she take on another 15 chicks.

A web search mentioned that a full sized hen can sit on 12 eggs and can raise twice that many chicks. So the mommy to be would get all but the heating pad chick. She took all chicks very willingly and has been a very good Mommy.

As for the half frozen chick we have been raising her separately. By the time she was acting normal it was a couple days and we felt the chilling may have debilitated her development.

Chickens can be very cruel to any other bird in the flock if it acts different. This is what happened to what became our porch chicken Dizzy Lou McGoo. The other hens penned her behind a brooder on a very hot day without water and she nearly died from heat stroke. This really affected her and there after she was always picked on by the other hens. So this is why she became a porch chicken and my ever ready garden companion.

Peep seems to be doing quite fine although I am sure she is lonesome. Soon she will be feathered and can join me in the garden.

The year continues to be a roller coaster of warm nights and cool nights. Gradually it does seem that the over night lows are creeping upward.. The nights that we have in the 60's it is amazing how much the veggies grow over the night. Last week the summer squash harvests were very nice. Due to cool nights the beans did not make my projections, but the harvest was decent. The cukes will most likely start hitting their stride as the nights warm. I will be picking the first few okra this morning (maybe 4). Harvesting sometimes stimulates plants to produce. A week of warm nights and I think both the toms and eggplants will be coming on. Last weeks pea harvest I saw that there were no new blossoms so today or Sunday will be the last of the peas until next year. I am gob smacked with a 2 month harvest from the peas. Usually a month is the best. This is most likely because our springs (in years past) usually have developed “attitude” well before the end of May. This spring has been a very welcome surprise on many fronts.