Backyard Chicken Farmers

[Laces_Out_Marino]

I am in Canton and have recently upgraded my chicken tractor which leaves me with two I am not using. As far as getting chicks, check out www.mcmurrayhatchery.com. my spelling on the site may be off but you can plug it in the Google machine.

You have 2 chicken tractors your not using?

 

[BangBang]

Typically they will hide/hold several days or weeks worth of eggs then sit on them all at once. My silkie went broody with only 1 egg. Both of my showgirls went broody with 2-3 eggs so i gave them 10-12 to hatch. They all made very solid moms which is why my friend wanted them to use for his breeding programs.

My bantams will go broody with only one or two eggs in the nest. I might leave some eggs in my Barred Rock pen for a week or so and see if any of them start sitting on them. My incubator works great, but if we ever end up in a situation without electricity it's not going to do me much good. I would really like to have Barred Rocks that would hatch their own eggs if need be.

 

[CliffB]

While the whole hatchery thing may be true, i've got 6 adult birds currently and none of them have ever gone broody. Two of my birds came from the very broody mothers from last year so we shall see how they do this year. They've been laying an egg a day for the last 2 weeks.

 

[Nob0dy]

Just a day of tractors, hamburgers, brownies, chickens and gun talk.

What day?

 

[CliffB]

Saturday.
It appears the hawks are back from their winter vacation. We never heard him swoop in at all until the birds were going crazy running behind the wood pile. We were 20-30 feet away on the patio. My dog ran towards the commotion which caused him to drop the chicken and take off. All he managed was a little mark on her neck. Now i've got two birds under the grill, 2 birds under a bush, 4 or 5 behind the A/C unit and 1 somewhere else hiding.

 

[GeauxLSU]

I never let my free range until they were grown. I've never had one attacked (no bantams).
I bet they don't mess with that turkey.

 

[CliffB]

LoL the one that got attacked is a year old.

 

[BangBang]

Man, that was a close call!

I had 6 free range chickens on the yard a year ago and I'm down to 2 now. I caught a hawk eating 1 of the 4 that I lost and I'm pretty sure he got the other 3 as well.

 

[GeauxLSU]

LoL the one that got attacked is a year old.

Which is why I mentioned no bantams. A bird that size is a target (obviously). Good luck with them. Nice mix.

 

[biker_bill]

Man, that was a close call!

I had 6 free range chickens on the yard a year ago and I'm down to 2 now. I caught a hawk eating 1 of the 4 that I lost and I'm pretty sure he got the other 3 as well.

Doesn't sound like those 2 will make it either.....
Better take down that "Free Chicken" sign!