broody?? this time of year?????

greenspun.com : LUSENET : CountrySide Family : One Thread

one of my banties,,,, wants to set all the time now. This cant be happeneing to me,,,,, out of 7 grown hens,, 5 have gone broody this year,,,,. Isnt it too late in the year for a SANE hen to be going broody? NIghts are getting cooler,, may get into the low 40's this week. SOme of the leaves are starting to change color,, and the salmon are ready to hit the streams. IT "should" be too late for this.

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), September 03, 2002

Answers

Stan, I've got ducks setting on their third nest this season. I don't really know what is going on-maybe the weather has their hormones in an uproar. LOL If they have a nice air-tight coop they should be OK, you may have to put down more bedding when the chicks hatch-at least they will hatch in 21 days; muscovies take 35 days but we are still getting 90 degree days and 74 degree nights. If these things keep hatching out nests full like this next year I think I'm going into the duckling business!! Ducks in KY go for $3.00 for day olds all the way to $6.00 for sexed adults.

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), September 03, 2002.

Stan...I, too, have three banties that insist upon setting on eggs. The weather is changing here and the leaves are just starting to turn color. As far as I'm concerned, it's way too late in the season to let them hatch out chicks so I just keep taking the eggs from them! They sure don't appreciate it :-)!! I don't know what is making them so insistent upon trying to set eggs this late in the summer. Maybe they're as messed up as the weather is!!?? OR....maybe they know something that we don't!!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), September 03, 2002.

I beleive that the weather,, ALL over the world is changing. I think its part of a natural process,, something humans jsut havnt seen yet or something that hasnt happened since recorded history. There are "some" scientists that think the poles reverse every 10,000 years, (give or take 1,000) They know this from ocre samples taken in the artic, adn these same, "some" think we are within the 1,000 year mark. Where the process begins are wanes. Which would/may mean,, ILl have florida weather in another 500 years, WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), September 04, 2002.

I've noticed that it's not just the odd cycles of animals but also the vegetation is doing strange things too. We have hostas that are doing great in the full sun in KY, in previous years they would burn out from such intense sunlight. Also I noticed I've got ferns growing in full sun in the pasture. My determinate plants are reblooming and my non-everblooming roses are covered with another set of roses. Odd!! Another thing I noticed lately is although we've got 36 bird feeders out and filled with every variety of seeds,nuts & fruits I haven't seen or heard a blue jay in over 3 months. In all the previous years we always had at least 15-20 out at those feeders daily. Do you think it could be due to the West Nile virus or some strange weather phenomena?

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), September 04, 2002.

Stan, I have a 4 year old hen who has been setting for 2 weeks now. These will be the first chicks she has ever hatched! She's serious, too: she's threatening people who get too close!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), September 05, 2002.


Well, I had 7 new ducklings when I did chores this morning-only one egg was a dud. That makes a total of 49 live ducklings from 3 hen muscovies so far this season. Just one more still on a nest-she has 14 eggs under her.

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), September 05, 2002.

GEEEZZ,,,,, Kath,,, what are you going to do with all those ducks? How about labatory experiments?? MAybe you could sell them to some research facility?

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), September 05, 2002.

No lab critters here, but I do think we'll be eating quite a bit of duck this winter unless I can sell some. I have raised ducks for almost 35 yrs now and I can honestly say I've never seen any that were this broody and successful at hatching large clutches of eggs. I would like some of these to go to other homesteads since they seem to come from great breeding stock. It seems a shame to just eat such good breeders but those feed bills are starting to get out of hand. Stan, don't be surprised if along with that sage you end up with some ducklings. LOL Other folks try to 'gift' friends with zucchini but for me it's ducks. :)

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), September 05, 2002.

Kathy, that really is uncanny! I wish you lived closer...I think I snake ate our two Mallard ducklings......:-(

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), September 06, 2002.

How far are you from Memphis? Tom works in Memphis so he could meet you somewhere along the border with some ducks. If you've got snakes muscovies will take care of them-at least they do here. They seem to really like catching & eating black snakes. We did have a chicken catch a copperhead & gulp it down head first. It didn't kill her and that was last spring so I think she's safe. My muscovies will even chase the hose when I drag it around to the garden. Let me know I would really like these guys to go to other homesteads since they are such nice,healthy breeders. With my rouens,khaki campbells,fawn runners,muscovies & 2 mixed ducks I've got a total of 68 ducks!! Plus 8 geese and 36 chickens!

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), September 06, 2002.


I wish I was closer! But alas, I'm nowhere near the bootheel. I'm right smack dab in the center of Missouri. I'm still amazed by the prolific nature of you moscovies!!!!!

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), September 07, 2002.

Well, the broody hen has hatched 3 out of the 18 eggs she was setting on. I sure hope she gets more hatched, but right now she is ignoring the nest.

If she doesn't set on the nest tonight, I will gather the eggs and use the incubator to finish them off.

Has anyone done this? Is there something special I should try when I introduce her to the incubator chicks? Maybe shove them under her at night, or can I just let them go to mingle with the other chicks?

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), September 08, 2002.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ