Madison Co. Virginia | Grain Hay Cattle - 5/15/2019 20:57
Heard they would lose their nest location or their babies in a field.
They're not bad mothers, but not good ones either. A hen will go setty easily enough, but only on her own terms. It seems that as soon as the nest is discovered, she'll abandon it and predators will clean it out simultaneously.
In a range setting, your only option for hatching eggs is from a nest. The nest could be anywhere. A quarter of a mile away from the coop or communal perch is not unusual. When you find a nest, take all the eggs. Incubate them immediately, since they're probably already started incubating. Put a few golf balls in the nest just in case, but she'll probably abandon it at that point. Even if she doesn't abandon the nest, a fox will discover the nest the next night and clean it out. Happens every time.
If she hatches her own chicks, she's likely going to drown them by taking them through dewy grass first thing in the morning. I've never personally seen it happen, but my dad says they had quite a number of guineas hatch a nest of chicks when he was a youngster. They would see a dozen chicks the first day, three chicks the next day, and none after that. Guinea chicks don't work well with our fescue pastures and lawns.
Edited by kipps 5/15/2019 20:35
|
Guenna chickens
