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Two winters back, two of my ducks were trying to brood on top of a 2 string hay bale (not sure how they even got up there) with one of my larger "rainbow" hens from HH. Eventually, they all abandoned the nest. I stopped counting at 88! mixed eggs, duck and chicken both, in that nest. Likely...

Chickens have surprisingly complicated genetics when it comes to egg laying and associated behavior. The color genes obviously have some associated benefit in nature at making eggs less vulnerable to predation. Rates of fat deposit to support broody hens while unable to forage effectively, egg...

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take? the swings you don't make? similar quote by Bruce Lee for marital arts, etc...

Alternatively, they provide an evolutionary benefit **in some specific environments**, i.e. both Anemia and Thalassemia Minor providing some protection against Malaria infection. I've even seen argument for an environmental factor favoring OCD in a small % of ancient hunters (not saying I...

I wish I could judge that way. I have to open mine up and look around inside to get a good idea of their fat levels.

I suspect there is a fat level component as well, as part of a series or a collection of interrelated conditions that trigger broodiness in one bird but not another.

Yes. That's a possibility.

Got hold of FWC. @NatJ was 99% of the way there. You can't hunt (or take) grey fox in FL because FWC hasn't established a season for them, nor declared them fair game. However, my fox, in my circumstances, qualifies as a nuisance animal. As it is on my own property, no permit required. And...

Haven't tried it - yes it gets plenty hard. but also strongly flavored.

I do, but chicken fat works "poorly" for sausage. It doesn't harden right, results in a very unpalatable texture sadly.

Need to reduce the goat head count too. Hopefully, a dry cool three day weekend. Though I'm sure the animals are hoping otherwise.

Older duck moved out of the grow out, turkeys have joined the younger ducks in the grow out. Have to clean the turkey's prior cage out in preparation for moving last (chicken) hatch out, then start another incubation. Going to remove another rabbit as well, maybe two - we are capable of...

And a rare few of us don't have reliably broody birds and needed to rapidly increase flock size to advance our project. But yes, eventually, after everything else has been checked off, I'll try and encourage some broodiness. Right now, its lowest priority. (and since we don't actually get...

Last Hatch. The all yellow one and the all black one are destined for freezer camp. he lighter yellow/less chipmonk backed birds will get a little time to show their pattern and growth rates, then them may go. The darker, better patterned birds are likely all keeps - unless they really...

Me? No. I incubate to change flock numbers, since I don't have broody birds, and have lost every chick that was successfully brooded. But when I do incubate, I select for egg size and color in hopes of getting birds that lay larger, lighter tinted eggs. Also, I have a bird that consistently...

The predators handle part of that. I handle some of it when I'm selecting which birds go to freezer camp and which get to continue breeding. But I don't control the breeding itself - they can partner with any bird on property. I judge the offspring, not the parents. How does the bird "look"...

The scale broke. Quickly. But it would give volumes of milk and water based on weight.

I can keep my hatchlings separate from my adolescents from the main flock, so I feed a commercial mix as their sole ration until I integrate them into the main flock. The main flock also get s a commercial mix and free ranges many acres - I adjust how much I feed based on their daily...

Its in my Sig - 36, plus 8 hatchlings still in the brooder. I briefly had my flock to nearly 100, have culled down since, a little more culling to do to select the best of recent generations.

Mine make use of more than five acres, less than thirty - and as @Ridgerunner expressed, the tribe thing is a definite reality. I find that my Roos each stake out a territory/feeding ground, then call for the hens to join them (usually between two and six answer the call). Occasionally, hens...