Flushed hens, hatched eggs, or poults?

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Boll Weevil

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Anyone seen anything in these regards? We've had an awful lot of rain and chilly, crappy weather of late. Just curious if you've seen any signs of a good (or bad) nesting season in your area.

Compared to earlier this season, hens around here are pretty scarce which is a pretty good thing this time of year. I remain optimistic.
 
I flushed one off her nest about 2 weeks ago , she was sitting on 12 eggs ...girlfriend and i found a bunch of eggs yesterday that had been scattered through a field , im guessing a coon found the nest...funny thing is , they weren't busted up real bad...only had a small hole in them , about the size of a pencil.
 
Saturday morning found this in the middle of a field. there had also been a hen on the other side of the field. I dont know if it hatched or was a predator.



Not sure what the hatch has been like, haven't flushed any hens yet. One area near where I live got flooded recently and before then I had seen fresh hen tracks and have previously seen old egg shells in the overgrown thicket. But after the flood I did find a very fresh dust bowl so maybe they are still going to keep nesting in there.
 
Unfortunately that egg appears to have been predator-ized. I'm no expert, but poults typically start pecking in the big end as that's where the air sac is located inside the egg. They peck in an almost perfect circle around the big end and push themselves out.
 
I would be surprised if any eggs have hatched yet.

There are a lot of hens that aren't even sitting yet. At least that is what I saw in Wilson County over the weekend.
 
The week of May 24th about 90% of the eggs will hatch. All hens should be sitting by now. The ones that aint are probably trying for their second clutch because the first one was destroyed, or just completely didn't nest.
 
I have to get hay mowed before the end of the month, so I hope they hurry up. We mow this time of year every year and hardly get into a nest, the deer are a different story though.
 
There's one field I drive by often that had a group of four toms often strutting with one or two hens. I have still been seeing the hens feeding in that field and I guess they didn't nest. You'd think with 4 toms hanging around they would have been bred a while ago. Maybe they will try for a 2nd clutch...
 
catman529 said:
There's one field I drive by often that had a group of four toms often strutting with one or two hens. I have still been seeing the hens feeding in that field and I guess they didn't nest. You'd think with 4 toms hanging around they would have been bred a while ago. Maybe they will try for a 2nd clutch...
Click to expand...
Maybe those hen are not going to nest this year.
 
catman529 said:
There's one field I drive by often that had a group of four toms often strutting with one or two hens. I have still been seeing the hens feeding in that field and I guess they didn't nest. You'd think with 4 toms hanging around they would have been bred a while ago. Maybe they will try for a 2nd clutch...
Click to expand...

I think there is still time for a second clutch. Bet that is what they are doing.
 

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