Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 So last Sunday I'm out waging war on weeds with my new Husky 4-stroke weed-buzzer-downer. Made darned good progress, too... was working my way into the last corner of the fenced yard when I suddenly stopped, feeling something wasn't quite right. I turned the machine off, and in the fresh silence probed with my eyes... and there, probably less than six feet from where I stopped, was a hen. Not my hen, mind you... seems we have feral chickens! Anyway, there she sat. Or set. Whatever. Splayed out as flat as she could be, stoically gazing at me, obviously resigned to staying with her eggs until the bitter end... which to her, I'm sure, seemed inevitable and imminent. Of course, I left her alone. Wandered back to that corner of the yard almost every day... and she's still there. No evidence that she's moved at all. Eyes bright, blinking, and determined. I wish her and her family well. But... it's been over 50 years since I've had chickens, so I'm a-wonderin'... is there anything I should or could do for her? Water? Feed? How near to her meager "nest...?" Dang! I might be becoming a proud poultry papa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Here she is... Of course, gotta call 'er "Henrietta!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Chicken Farmer Curmudgeon HAHAHAHA. Some folks will do anything to build up a nest egg. Even capture poor feral chickens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 *Snrk!!* Okay, that's funny right there. Doesn't help much, but still funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Might be a game hen...they are pretty tough. Oklahoma had and still does have a sizeable fightin chicken reputation. I've seen them take to the bush before. They are pretty resilient but owls and Coopers hawk have the last say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Foxes and Coyotes . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 She's pretty cute and obviously a good mother. Henrietta! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Get a bowl of water for her, or better yet, a poultry waterer (feed store). Get her a small bag of chicken pellets or seed feed. Put it in a little bowl. You could toss a net over her, gather her up (control her wings and keep her head/beak away from your face), Carefully gather up her eggs. Build her a nest of straw in a small box and put her eggs in and then her. Close up the box and leave her in about 20minutes. She's got a new home. She'll be a strict disciplinarian. >:~( You'll have a new little family. Name her Thelma. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 You will have a Chicken Ranch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Are Chicken Ranches legal in California? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Bart Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 You will have a Chicken Ranch!! Might want to call it something other than "The Chicken Ranch". That name has been used in the past in Texas and you might begin to get request you don't really want. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Ranch_(Texas) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastmaster Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Hardpan, Mother Hen alias is not taken,,, Just saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Are Chicken Ranches legal in California? as long as they don't have more than 10 chicks..... ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Hurry!! 21-day incubation!!!! No telling when the first one will break out. She'll lose all or most of them without intervention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Leave her alone. There's nothing worse than a free range chicken that's been captured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Nice hackle feathers on that bird, Hardpan. I see some great soft hackles there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Well poop. Just got home, and as usual immediately walked over to check on Henrietta. Two weeks and a day since I discovered her, hatching could happen any time. But... she wasn't in the nest... one egg cracked open (beginning to hatch?) and covered with ants. Remaining eggs in situ; found poor mom about a dozen feet away, surrounded by clumps of feathers. Dunno what got 'er, but whatever it was, she got it away from the nest full of eggs. If I had an incubator I'd try to save 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 HP: $20 of parts - homemade incubator LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Brave momma! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I'll bet it tasted like chicken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I'll bet it tasted like chicken. Oh, man.....you are so......cold! :wacko: LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 I'M A PAPA!!!! Or at least something of a poultry midwife!! So... I sat about a bit... watched Loophole's video on building an incubator... checked online to see if the local Tractor Supply (which would be open for another 45 minutes) had 'em - they didn't. Sassparilla Kid texted me with instructions to set the oven at 100 degrees for now... no joy. Minimum setting is 170. Well, I decided to get it over with. Put on my boots, grabbed gloves and a shovel, and went out to bury poor Henrietta. But hey... rather than leave 'em for some nasty critter, I'll bury her un-hatched babies with 'er. Took the shovel to scoop up the eggs (they're hard to get to); noted that a couple were crunched. And then... XXX?? THAT one in the middle just moved! Or... did it?? And right then and there... it hatched!! Swarming with ants, I scooped it up partially hatched, and blew the ants away... set it in the grass... grabbed a box... put it in the box along with a half-dozen others that appeared unmolested... Ran to CVS Pharmacy for a heating pad... wrapped a small, moistened towel around it... added a lid of water and one of crumbles... Stuck a digital thermometer probe through the side of the box, between the heating pad, set on "Warm;" temp was lower 80's. Bumped it to "Low," moved to mid 80's... just bumped to "Medium" and will check it soon; trying to get it up to about 100. I hope the li'l tyke won't be an only child! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Hardpan ain't so Curmudgeonly after all! Good on you for taking on the chicks. You're in for an adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Stoopid heating pad is a "safety" model... shuts off after two hours. So... I put the box in a downstairs bathroom with an electric heater... temp is about 93. Checked on the li'l rascal this morning... and now there's two! Peepin' up a storm, first one's eating already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Baby Pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I can see Hardpan now, wandering around singing, 'jeepers creepers, where'd you get those peepers' and thinking what the heck am I gonna do with them things now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 a basic heat lamp with red bulb from tractor supply is good. i once kept them in a rabbit house and attached the heat lamp outside and shined it toward the inside that way they can move away from the heat and get close as they desire. tractor supply sells a starter kit with a small feeder and waterer and cardboard to form a pen and some straw . they are messy though. keep mine in a dog kennel now. cover the top with fence due to owls and hawks, chicken wire along the bottom or they will escape. two feet high is good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 once they get off the heat lamp i have ben known to put them in a dog carrier on cold nights and put them in the garage. you can take away the heat when they get feathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shoer 27979 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Hardpan ain't so Curmudgeonly after all! Good on you for taking on the chicks. You're in for an adventure. +1 Your are a good man Hardpan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Tractor Supply is right on the way home... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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