Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[Auntiejessi3]

that I could ever go fully to broodies raising all of my chicks for me.

Well I can't either, cuz they're grouchy, finicky, and don't want to work with my timeline

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

That's very true, they do not care one bit about our schedule, only their own.

Luckily, with few exceptions, my hens at least are pretty gentle with me beyond just puffing and growling when they're broody. Athena doesn't even do that much, she very much is not bothered by me interacting with her or her babies at all.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That's very true, they do not care one bit about our schedule, only their own.

Luckily, with few exceptions, my hens at least are pretty gentle with me beyond just puffing and growling when they're broody. Athena doesn't even do that much, she very much is not bothered by me interacting with her or her babies at all.

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Lucky, mine all try to feast on my blood when I check under them. Apart from a few, rare sweethearts like One Leg or Cochin Mama

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Lucky, mine all try to feast on my blood when I check under them.

That would be this one, one of those exceptions I mentioned. Silkie x Easter-egger mix, the combination of which apparently produces pure evil. She'll take a finger off if you try to mess with her on the nest even when she's not broody! Just look into those eyes, you can see the evil.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

That would be this one, one of those exceptions I mentioned. Silkie x Easter-egger mix, the combination of which apparently produces pure evil. She'll take a finger off if you try to mess with her on the nest even when she's not broody! Just look into those eyes, you can see the evil.

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Oh yes, the black dahlia (black English orp) looks just like that, screeches and freaks out when she's laying an egg, don't go by the nest box cuz then Klaus thinks something is wrong because of all the commotion from that moody unstable little freak, smdh I hope she never goes broody, she will rain fire down on the whole coop

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Well, y'all know I can't help but peek in the incubator at this point, right?

It's very early still, but... I'm seeing a decent amount of life in there already!!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I see veining in 4 eggs and early signs of something happening in the remaining 3. Looks like Pete's coop isn't having any trouble with fertility! Too bad it's just the one hen laying, though.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Day 7 for the eggs from Pete's coop. 5 of the 7 are developing beautifully, and the last two are either very early deaths or just clear.

Batch 2 of this round is in, 8 eggs from Gus's group. Zinni was in the box when I went out to check for eggs one last time before setting, so if she lays soon I'll add that one in as well for a total of 9 in this batch.

Edit, Zinni laid her egg, 9 eggs total for this batch.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've been the worst about pictures lately, haven't I? Suffice it to say I've had some things weighing on my mind a lot lately and have been distracted a lot because of that.

At any rate, I went out with the intention of at least getting pictures of the chicks that have made it past my first round of selection, but since they're all so very active and energetic these days... that didn't go so well.

I'll have to give it another go before I haul them outside one morning so that maybe they'll sit still for the 2 seconds it takes to get a picture of them.

Since I had the camera out, though, and I'd been meaning to get better shots of the corner coop birds for a long time, I went ahead and did just that! They were also not terribly easy to get pictures of--every time I crouch, they all come running for attention!--but it was nice to spend some time with them on this pleasant day we're having here.

Pete was showing off by flapping his wings off and on, so he's kind of standing weird, but I did get some green sheen captured in this picture!

Miss Bella, and all her junk in the trunk

Miss Coco and even more junk in the trunk

And miss Washburne, who... is somewhat lacking in the trunk junk department.

Just a couple more pictures while I was out there, Wash having a sit down:

And Bella and Coco learning to share They have always had two nest boxes available to them in that coop, but to date I have never found an egg in the other box, only in this one. As another note, I wonder if perhaps the reason two of the seven eggs from this coop did not develop despite the dates laid being intermixed is perhaps because one of these two came into lay during the time I was collecting to set, and those were maybe her first two eggs of the year, not yet fertilized?

Speaking of the eggs, as I am a notorious incubator peeker... In batch 2, the eggs from Gus's group, I'm seeing early development in all of Boba's eggs to no surprise, but nothing yet in any of Zinnia's eggs. I'm beginning to suspect Gus was not the cause of the failed hatch attempts last year...

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I've been the worst about pictures lately, haven't I? Suffice it to say I've had some things weighing on my mind a lot lately and have been distracted a lot because of that.

At any rate, I went out with the intention of at least getting pictures of the chicks that have made it past my first round of selection, but since they're all so very active and energetic these days... that didn't go so well.

View attachment 3508767

I'll have to give it another go before I haul them outside one morning so that maybe they'll sit still for the 2 seconds it takes to get a picture of them.

Since I had the camera out, though, and I'd been meaning to get better shots of the corner coop birds for a long time, I went ahead and did just that! They were also not terribly easy to get pictures of--every time I crouch, they all come running for attention!--but it was nice to spend some time with them on this pleasant day we're having here.

Pete was showing off by flapping his wings off and on, so he's kind of standing weird, but I did get some green sheen captured in this picture!

View attachment 3508771


Miss Bella, and all her junk in the trunk

View attachment 3508769


Miss Coco and even more junk in the trunk

View attachment 3508770


And miss Washburne, who... is somewhat lacking in the trunk junk department.

View attachment 3508773


Just a couple more pictures while I was out there, Wash having a sit down:

View attachment 3508772


And Bella and Coco learning to share They have always had two nest boxes available to them in that coop, but to date I have never found an egg in the other box, only in this one. As another note, I wonder if perhaps the reason two of the seven eggs from this coop did not develop despite the dates laid being intermixed is perhaps because one of these two came into lay during the time I was collecting to set, and those were maybe her first two eggs of the year, not yet fertilized?

View attachment 3508768

Speaking of the eggs, as I am a notorious incubator peeker... In batch 2, the eggs from Gus's group, I'm seeing early development in all of Boba's eggs to no surprise, but nothing yet in any of Zinnia's eggs. I'm beginning to suspect Gus was not the cause of the failed hatch attempts last year...

Better than I have been. Poor Colt got like 1 picture of the eggs he sold me and it's hatch day now