The eggs are almost ready, the coop is almost ready.... but I'm not sure I'm ready! Need advice... - Page 3

Ok, so I just went out to check on her. 3 chicks have hatched. She got out of the next box, and they followed her. But I don't think they can get back in! And the rest of the eggs have not hatched yet, so I'm not sure she's done sitting on them yet. I'm worried that the chicks that have hatched will get cold if she's not with them, or that the other eggs won't hatch if she doesn't get back on them. I'm not sure what to do. I could move them all (eggs and chicks) into the large tupperware container that I have for a brooding box, which would keep the chicks from getting out and not being able to get back in. Or I might be able to situate something around the nest box so the chicks can climb back in, but I'd have to put mom in a dog kennel or something because she does *not* want me to get to close.... *sigh*

She wound up coaxing the other two chicks out of the nest box, then sitting with them on the ground, next to the nest box. I went ahead and piled up some pine shavings, then pulled some of the bedding out of the nest box, and put the eggs on that. So if she wants to go back to sitting on the eggs, she can do so without leaving the chicks out it the cold. I think the remaining eggs might be duds. Two of them were broken, I think they might have gotten squashed a while back. Another one had hairline crack in it. I don't think I had enough bedding in there to begin with 

She had 3 chicks when we moved her last night, and no new ones this morning. She started out with 14 eggs, so she may not have been able to keep all of them warm. Or they may not all have been fertile, I didn't check them before she started sitting on them. I'll be interested to see if she is on the nest when I get home from work. 

Well, wound up with only 3 chicks. I'm not sure if it was the badly-timed move, or her decision to join the chicks on the ground instead of staying on the nest. The other eggs were definitely fertile 

Mom and chickies are doing good. I was able to get the run all wired in, so they have been going outside. I'm getting mom to trust me more. She ate some watermelon from my hand, and didn't seem to mind when I went in the coop this morning. She was crowding into the corner with the chicks, but today she went about her business. I've been spending time just sitting in the coop with them and talking to her. The babies are uber cute. Hopefully I will get her trust enough to be able to handle them soon.

Well, I wound up with two hens and a rooster. They are getting big!

They love their num nums:

They love rooting around in my flower garden:

And one of the roosters is learning to crow: 

And now I have six more chickens that someone was giving away on craigslist. But I'll always have a soft spot for my bebe's!