Fancy Brooder Cage

My broody hen hatched one of her eggs. I was so excited I raced over to Tractor Supply and got chick supplies as well as six more chicks. Last night I stuck the new pullets in the cooler that was going to be an incubator, except for one aggressive chick that I stuck out with broody Buffy and the newly hatched chick.

Today I went to check on the broody hen and her little brood. The smell was awful. Time to clean the coop!

Doctor Dolittle came out and we cleaned the coop, the nest box, and the broody nest cage. Coughing together in a big cloud of dust, Doc and I hatched a new plan. We decided to transform the broody nest cage into a brooder cage.

We cut up soda can boxes and taped them to the sides of the cage, along the bottom. Then we filled the cage with sand and took a few pictures.

Fancy Brooder Cage Work in Progress

We added another band of cardboard to keep chicks from falling out and rearranged the furniture. Well, we actually rearranged the furniture a few dozen times. Finally we added Buffy and the all chicks.

Buffy & Chicks in Brooder Cage

Oh the chickeny joy! Buffy's attitude changed from grumpy human-biter to gentle clucking mother hen.

Oh the chicken farmer relief!

Broody Hatching -- First Chick and Chicken Math Disaster

My broody hen Buffy is trying to hatch out some eggs. I tried to candle the eggs nine days ago and decided to hope for the best.

Two days ago we discovered an amazing smell in the coop. I tearfully checked under the hen and found three eggs. The fourth egg was nowhere to be seen. Choking, I retreated upwind and sat down to think like a stuffed bear with very little brain. Oh bother! But the sensible Doctor Dolittle suggested that Buffy had consumed one of the eggs because it was rotten, setting my overworked brain at ease.

Today Buffy was particularly violent in her objection to being forced off the nest. I pulled away my hand, with her beak firmly attached, and saw a glimpse of black. I squawked. Buffy squawked in response, falling back onto the nest.

I got my camera and came back for more opportunities to lose fingers.

Two eggs left

First chick to hatch

Chick from Mr. Big and De

Realizing that I was out of time to prepare for chicks, I raced to Tractor Supply. My list included chick starter, chick feeder, chick waterer, and chick electrolytes. It would have been so easy to just run in and run out with my purchases, right? But nooooooooo.

Doctor Dolittle saw it first. There was a tub with a brooder lamp over it. "What is that?" Doc asked. Foolishly, I turned to look. TSC had one last batch of healthy-looking Production Red pullets.

Production Red Pullets from TSC

Now, by the power of Chicken Math I have six more chicks.


Update: One of the Production Reds is very aggressive and keeps pecking her sisters. I think she just volunteered to become the first foreigner placed under Buffy tomorrow. If she is agreeable, then I will put the rest under her. If she attacks the chick, the little bugger could probably hold her own.

Broody Hatching -- Candling Eggs on Day 10

My Buff Orpington went broody and I decided to try hatching under her. The first attempt failed miserably,  and I put some eggs under her that had been destined for breakfast.

Waiting was really hard, but Day 10 is here and it is time to candle the eggs. Woo hoo!

I waited until nightfall when the chickens were settled into their roost and reluctant to stir themselves to investigate my mysterious activities. I crept up the broody cage and gently slipped eggs out from under Buffy. She was in a good mood and only pecked me a few dozen times, hardly removing any fingers.

Like everything else on my little chickeny ranch, my egg candler is improvised from available parts. In this case, I used a toilet paper tube and an LED flashlight.

Improvised Egg Candler

How to Use Improvised Egg Candler

This is what professional egg candlers look like:

One egg was pretty porous and did not seem to have any development. The other three looked about right for Day 10.

Egg Day 10

For now, I left the questionable egg on the nest, in case I learn more about candling eggs. I put the others back and rescued my fingers from the furious fowl.

There are many, many discussions on BackYardChickens.com about hatching chicks and embryo development. BYC member silkiechicken posted this excellent collection of egg candling pictures. I used it to identify the lack of development in the porous egg and the apparent health of the other eggs. BYC member shookpoultry posted this amazing animated image of embryo development.

Go Buffy go!

Update: Recandled porous egg. Think it may be viable after all. The general wisdom at BackYardChickens.com is that any egg that *might* be viable should be given a chance.

Porous egg has defined air cell and dark center

Update: Success! One hatched!! The porous one was as dead as the others. I think two weeks on the kitchen counter is not good for hatching viability....

Broody Hatching -- Learning the Routine

My broody Buff Orpington started with a clutch of 8 eggs, which got consumed by some unidentified stealthy predator. I converted the Chicken Jail into an upstairs broody nest and set her up with four more eggs.

After some hasty experimentation, I have developed a brilliant plan for their daily routine. My flock, ever so fond of change, has started reluctantly adapting. In the process they have found new ways to express their annoyance and disgust and irritation and chickeny rage.

Most things stay the same. I open the coop at the crack of noon. Mr. Big leads De and Vo into the pen for a bit of dust bathing and snacking on any treats I may have provided. Buffy stays on her nest and gives me the stink eye while I gather eggs from the downstairs nest. She fluffs and squawks and pecks when I lift her up to look at her eggs to make sure there are eggs under her and not a snake or an empty spot.

I return to the coop in the late afternoon and lead the flock to the tractor so they can feast upon weeds and leaves and blackberries and bugs and invisible bits of deliciousness. Mr. Big has learned the routine already and proudly leads the girls straight to the tractor. Oh the chickeny joy!

Once they are situated I shut myself in the pen and screw up my courage to face Buffy. Once again she fluffs and squawks and pecks when I lift her up. When I set her down, she fluffs and huffs as I close the side door of the broody cage. Then she fluffs and squawks and pecks when I lift her up and carry her to the snack bar in the pen.

Once outside she snaps out of her trance. She drinks and preens and eats and preens and preens and drinks and preens and drops an enormous stinky broody poo.

While she is busy I block off the eggless but oh-so-desirable bottom nest. When she is ready, she walks up the new ladder into the broody cage and settles back on her nest.

Then, just as darkness approaches I close up the broody cage, open the pen, and release the others. If I am a little late, Mr. Big will have some choice words for me. Then he hastily leads them back into the coop for a good night.

At least, that is how it is supposed to go....


Update: Gave up on the tractor once the flock got an Easter scare. Just have to juggle a grumpy hen while keeping an eye on a perturbed rooster.

Broody Hatching Disaster

I placed eggs under my broody buff orpington just 3 days ago. I already have a failed hatch. 100% failed. Argh!

Worse, it is a mystery. But I have my suspicions....

I went to remove Buffy from the nest today so she could get some food, water, and exercise. She squawked and pecked and fussed and huffed. But once she was off the nest there were no eggs to be found!

Eight eggs vanished into thin air. There were no sticky spots. There were no eggshells. There were no signs of struggle. Just empty space where my carefully hoarded eggs used to be.

Doctor Dolittle and I examined the coop for evidence and found none, so we fell back on speculation. We considered human theft, but rejected that due to the undisturbed gate of annoyance and latching system of despair. We considered snakes due to the recent sighting of both copperhead and cottonmouth venomous snakes, but rejected it since Buffy would probably have blinded them or been bitten. We considered crows, rats, opossums, raccoons, and foxes, but rejected all of them since Buffy would have forced them to deal with her before surrendering the eggs. We reluctantly considered that Buffy might be the culprit.

Another egg eater? Were her eggs too thin for her enormous bulk? Did she grow so ravenous that she consumed her potential offspring?

Could be....

So, for now Buffy and her new clutch of randomly selected eggs are residing in chicken jail with food and water right in front of her. This ought to reduce possible predation by snakes, crows, rats, opossums, raccoons, foxes, and the other chickens. Vigorous patrols by Doctor Dolittle and a certain part-time chicken farmer should limit the risk of two-legged predators. This leaves Buffy.

If Buffy eats these eggs, then she will be fired as a mommy chicken. Lucky for her we now have two desirable nest boxes that the other hens will actually use.

Yet another high maintenance hen. *sigh*


Update: The eggs were still under her this morning. But she rejected the nest box in favor of the jail floor which has lots of wood shavings. Doc says she probably got too warm.

Update: People keep saying it must be a snake because of no mess and that a hen in broody trance will not notice a snake under her. I really appreciate this information, but I hope you will forgive me for wishing it not to be so, especially since the cottonmouth is still at large. Snakes are creepy.

Update: Learning the new routine.

Update: Y'all were right. I was wrong. It was a snake. Here is the proof.

What breed of eggs to hatch?

I want to hatch some eggs. Not just any eggs. Eggs that will contribute to my plan for food and financial security.

I want to be able to sell eggs at premium prices for eating or hatching. This means there must be some kind of substantial demand for them.

Organic-ish eggs carry premium prices. Blue eggs and dark brown eggs are cool looking. High quality strains of certain breeds are in demand. Is there some happy medium in all this?

I wonder if I can hatch out Ameraucana eggs from a well-regarded line. Or perhaps Cuckoo Marans. Or maybe Welsummers or Blue Laced Red Wyandottes.

I need to identify breeders with good lines who will sell me eggs.

I also need to acquire or build an incubator.

So much to learn....

What do you suggest? What would you buy from me if I had them?