The great broody experiment (new pics p 18)

[lorihadams]

Awwww, so sorry Free! I've got 2 broodies right now and I don't know what we're gonna do when we move. I'm hoping everything hatches before we have to start moving everyone. I am worried about one of mine cause she's in the nesting box in the coop and it is so hot it is ridiculous but I'm sure she's getting up in the middle of the day to get some water, I have been making sure she has food too, even though she gets really angry when I go in the coop to give it to her. She looks like she's about double in size every time I open the dang door. She is PISSY.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Oh man, that's not happy at all.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Sorry about your broody

 

[freemotion]

The three roosters from my original broody....way back on page 7 of this thread....are caged up for processing tomorrow. These will be our first birds that we raised completely, from conception to the Dutch oven! I had to do something...the hens are all bald on their backs and sunburned on their bare wings, and some are missing neck feathers from too much roo activity.

Now I have the nine pullets and cockerels growing up from the White Rock broody. Gotta get a picture of them for this thread, hopefully tomorrow. I saw one of them today start the rooster dance around a Barred Rock hen, who put him in his place immediately!

 

[Wildsky]

Adorable chicks. Do you have to separate the hen and chicks from the rest of the chickens or can you leave them with everyone?

I've separated some of mine, and other not. The last broody was separated by her own choice - she went and found a spot in our garage, so we left her there - built a "cage" type thing around her so she'd be relatively safe with the garage open till 9 or so at night. once the chicks hatched we opened it up and she eventually took the chicks to the back yard with all the others, but she would keep coming back to the garage at night. At about 6 weeks, we took them out and put them in the coop one night - and that was it, momma took them back to the coop the next night and all was back to normal.

I've had other hens go broody in the coop and I've let them hatch their chicks right there with all the other chickens. No problems. Those broody girls are MEAN even the banty's! No chicks lost or beat up.

 

[dagaul101]

I am sure there is going to be a twinge of sadness as they go to the dutch oven

 

[freemotion]

Surprisingly, no. None. It is interesting to me that once my number of chickens reached a certain threshold, I no longer keep as close track of them or know each one. I know the remaining two Americauna hens from our first batch of purchased chicks, but they are the only ones with names that I talk to often...Little Blue and Goldie. The only other that stands out is the only white chicken who was my last broody....I want her to last another year at least as she was a GREAT mother.

There was a good twinge last year when I carried each of the two tom turkeys out to the pasture to be slaughtered by my dad, but no negative feelings when I saw them in the fridge and cooked them. There was only the slightest twinge when I went into the coop a few days ago at night and took each rooster to the cage to spend their last night in the hay storage area. But I carried them gently and spoke to them reassuringly and was kind, which is the whole point of raising my own. Well, one of the points.....cruelty-free, and healthy food.

 

[dagaul101]

There never is any negative feelings when they are laid on a plate

 

[Farmfresh]

Surprisingly, no. None. It is interesting to me that once my number of chickens reached a certain threshold, I no longer keep as close track of them or know each one. I know the remaining two Americauna hens from our first batch of purchased chicks, but they are the only ones with names that I talk to often...Little Blue and Goldie. The only other that stands out is the only white chicken who was my last broody....I want her to last another year at least as she was a GREAT mother.

There was a good twinge last year when I carried each of the two tom turkeys out to the pasture to be slaughtered by my dad, but no negative feelings when I saw them in the fridge and cooked them. There was only the slightest twinge when I went into the coop a few days ago at night and took each rooster to the cage to spend their last night in the hay storage area. But I carried them gently and spoke to them reassuringly and was kind, which is the whole point of raising my own. Well, one of the points.....cruelty-free, and healthy food.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Surprisingly, no. None. It is interesting to me that once my number of chickens reached a certain threshold, I no longer keep as close track of them or know each one. I know the remaining two Americauna hens from our first batch of purchased chicks, but they are the only ones with names that I talk to often...Little Blue and Goldie. The only other that stands out is the only white chicken who was my last broody....I want her to last another year at least as she was a GREAT mother.

There was a good twinge last year when I carried each of the two tom turkeys out to the pasture to be slaughtered by my dad, but no negative feelings when I saw them in the fridge and cooked them. There was only the slightest twinge when I went into the coop a few days ago at night and took each rooster to the cage to spend their last night in the hay storage area. But I carried them gently and spoke to them reassuringly and was kind, which is the whole point of raising my own. Well, one of the points.....cruelty-free, and healthy food.

My thoughts exactly!

I agree with you & it really surprised me!!
I am very soft hearted & sentimental but once you have dispatched them & struggled with all those b....y feathers you are just very glad to have good tasty food in your freezer & on your plate.
Also over here in the UK the price of food has shot up in the last few months to a frightening degree.
I have a lot of boys fattening up right now to see me through the winter (all bred from my own Dorkings & Dorking x White Plymouth Rocks). The last hatch was 18 chicks....50% were boys......Mmmmm, delicious....!!



Hattie