Chick raising Diary! 🐣 First time raising babies, with a first-time broody-mother (cute chick photos incoming!)

[Ambera]

Meet The Chicks

Name suggestions needed for the Yellow!

Nugget
Breed: Pekin cockeral x Lohmann Hen
Hatched: Tuesday 19th September 2023, 1pm, under broody Lily
Colour: Black, with white bib and bum!
Age in photo: 3 days
Weight in photo: 40g

The one who started it all! My first hatched egg, and a special one as only one out of six hatched. I have a suspicion they may be a cockerel.... they hatched with a large comb and are very forward and friendly!
An absolute mamma's child, loves Lily their foster mum. Will eat anything she shows them, the favourite being corn!
At 3 days old, Nugget is already the largest of the chicks... the full-size mother hen genes are showing through! Can't wait to see how they turn out, apparently a black chick shouldn't have been possible from the parents (see the photo in the first post for the parents!). Nugget has fluffy legs, but not fluffy feet and their middle toe is half yellow, whilst the rest of their leg are black!

Lilac
Breed: Lavender Cuckoo Pekin
Hatched: Saturday 16th September 2023, in an incubator
Colour: Blue/purple
Age in photo: 6 days
Weight in photo: 35g

Lilac is adorable, I had to have them when I saw the colour! Lilac quickly bonded with new mum Lily, she looks so happy to have a mum to snuggle after living in a brooder in someone's busy house (dogs, cats and kids!) for the start of their life. They have fluffy legs and feet, can't wait to see them grown!

Lilac is the most flighty of the lot, loves jumping and flying around! Probably because they already have pretty well developed wings! I'm really hoping this indicates that it will be a pullet! They are also the quietest chick.They have made friends with Nug and often both of them are snuggled under Lily's breast!

NAME TBC (just Yellow for now)
Breed: Colombian Pekin (potential for it to be something else according to hatcher! Both eggs were bought off eBay)
Hatched: Saturday 16th September 2023, in an incubator
Colour: Yellow (will turn white?)
Age in photo: 6 days
Weight in photo: 25g

Names welcome! I haven't got one yet, most of our hens have been named after flowers, then herbs (e.g. Daisy, Heather, Bluebell, Poppy, Lily, Primrose, Lavender, Violet, Blossom, Clover, Ivy, Sage, Pepper, Fennel, Parsnip to name a few).

I'm a tad worried about this chick for now, as they are the smallest of the lot! They seem to have a little problem drinking too, gaping/opening their mouth after drinking. Other that that they seem healthy!

They are the least energetic of the trio, spending more time under wing of Lily. They also haven't bonded with Lily completly, she isn't too bothered by them but will stand them. For example, she is slower to let them tuck under her, she doesn't feed them much or at all, and she will walk into them a bit, causing them to flee! The chick still makes the "I'm lost" noise, rather than "Where's mum". I'm hoping things improve!

When I first got them, I thought they could be a more dominant one, as they were pecking Lilac in the box and stealing their food! But they have since quietened down and I think now are the bottom of the pecking order! They also have the fluffy legs and feet. I wonder if this is a hen or cockerel... I have no idea now. They haven't developed wings as fast as Lilac , so if they truly are the same age, maybe a cockerel.

Taking bets on all 3 now! Lay your pullet/cockerel bets now!
Or claim your favourite!

(sorry for the spam, yes I have gone completely chick crazy)

 

[The Welch Chickens]

Name suggestions needed for the Yellow!

How about Banana?

 

[GreenJay]

Lilac is a lovely name for the lavender chick.

Yellow chick that may turn white?
Popcorn
She's a pretty little fluff ball
Glory? Cinnamon, Nutmeg?
We have a plant here with bright yellow blooms called Esperanza, now that's a big name for a tiny chick!
(Also, Esperanza is Spanish for hope)

 

[Macaw]

I noticed the yellow chick was doing some weird head movements after drinking - it was drinking a lot and not eating at the time. It was sort of gaping, but not really?

This happened to my 1yr old hen a few weeks ago, I was pretty scared at first so I brought her inside because it was really hot outside and I thought that might have to do with it. And when I did bring her in, It took about 20 min for her to calm down and shes doing fine now.

 

[Ambera]

Saturday 23rd September 2023

It was another cold night (8c, or 46 f) but all chicks made it through fine, nice and warm under Lily!

I think I will call the lavender one Lilac afterall, as it's a nice flower name! No chick can compare to OG Lavender
Still debating the yellow chicks name.... I love both Banana and Popcorn! Thank you! Will let you know when I finally decide! Leaning towards Popcorn (if they do end up white!) but will keep thinking incase anything else pops to mind!

I got them out of the nest box at around 11am and let them have the day in the run! Hopefully this is their last time cooped up in the nest box, as their new hutch/coop is arriving today.

The yellow chick is still gaping/looking like it's silently cheeping after it drinks. It is also looking pretty small, but seems healthy otherwise! Fingers crossed.

They spent the day sunbathing in the run whilst I set up the new mini-coop for them. It was a simple flatpack job, then I added foam against the floor and the two side walls for insolation. Topped that with newspaper (for easy cleaning), then about 2" of woodchip, sawdust and with a bit of straw on top. Can't add any more bedding or there won't be any space for Lily to sit down!

I saw the yellow chick bonding with Lily, and reaching up to cheep at her face! I think they have finally accepted her as mum
I also saw Nugget climb onto the sticks I put up as perches in the corners (very briefly!) which was cute to see! I'll add some more toys or things for them to explore tomorrow, suggestions welcome!
I also noticed Nugget has really developed wing feathers overnight! Looking good!

I'm hoping they go into the house by themself when it gets dark... in about an hours time. Will update this post then if there's any drama!


QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do the chicks need food and water in the house with them overnight? They will be locked up from about 7pm-8am. I've been leaving food and water in little dishes in the nestbox overnight so far, but by the morning there's always poops in both!

UPDATE: There was a little bit of drama getting them into the new house! I went up at dusk to check on them, Lily had gone in by herself and was in there with Nugget. However, Lilac and the Yellow chick were lost outside! They were underneath the ramp, peeping away rapidly! I could hear them from down the garden! I quickly scooped them up and put them inside, where they settled down under Lily for the night. Phew.
Will have to check that they can walk up the ramp tomorrow, and maybe make it less steep or add more steps?

Lily seems to have enough space in the new house, her tail is a bit squashed but there's plenty of space for the chicks as they grow! First night without putting food and water in (as they keep spilling/pooping in it), so hopefully they are happy in the morning.

Nugget Age: 4 days
Lilac & Yellow chick Age: 7 days
Highest daytime temperature: 16c (60f)
Overnight lowest outside temperature tonight: 13c (55f) - toasty for the UK!


Eggtopsy - opening the unhatched eggs

I decided to open up the two eggs that I had at the end... and now I feel a bit sick from guilt.
One egg was obviously never going to hatch and stopped developing halfway. But the final egg was a fully formed chick, looking so perfect and ready to live! I hate myself for removing the egg and not giving it more time...

I took it out from under Lily when I introduced the two new chicks, so that was on the end of Day 24 (56 hours after the first one hatched).
I candled it when I removed it, and could see the chick wasn't moving. It has a blood splodge/splatter (which you can now see in the shell in the photos below), and it looked like the chick was facing the wrong way? The head was at the narrow end, away from the airsack? I tapped it and it made no noise, and I had not heard a PEEP from it all this time.... I also had done the float test earlier that day, it floated horizontally, did not move and was about 40% out of the water.

There was no liquid in the egg when I cracked it, so I guess it had absorbed it's yolk? There were a few veins and the blood splodge I mentioned, and the membrane was in-tact and hadn't shrink wrapped or anything.

See the photos in the spoiler (in case you're squeamish!)

Spoiler: Eggtopsy pictures

I feel horrible that I may have killed the chick when it did have a chance! I can only hope that it had already died, after failing to get out as it was facing the wrong way?

PLEASE tell me if you see anything unsual in the photos, or what you think happened. Even if it's the truth that I just took it out too early... I would love some closure on this poor chick...

I wish I had left it another day to give it a chance, but I thought I should take it out when I added the new chicks so that she thought it had hatched and accepted the new chicks.... At least the good thing is I got 3 chicks out of this, rather than 2 (so more chance of a hen!), as I wouldn't have gone and bought more chicks if this one had hatched....

It's all a learning experince, and I know what to do (and not do!!) next time...

 

[Macaw]

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do the chicks need food and water in the house with them overnight? They will be locked up from about 7pm-8am. I've been leaving food and water in little dishes in the nestbox overnight so far, but by the morning there's always poops in both!

Chickens don't usually eat or drink water during the night so I would assume it the same for chicks but I could be wrong

 

[The Welch Chickens]

Still debating the yellow chicks name.... I love both Banana and Popcorn! Thank you! Will let you know when I finally decide! Leaning towards Popcorn (if they do end up white!) but will keep thinking incase anything else pops to mind!

I didn't know the yellow chick would turn white; Popcorn is a great name!

 

[Ambera]

Sunday 24th September 2023

I've decided to go with the name Popcorn, so we have the trio of Nugget, Lilac and Popcorn! It's not guaranteed they will turn white, but the hatcher said they should?
Late posting as our internet has gone all dodgy overnight, it's crawling at snail speed!
I was fairly busy today, so didn't get too many pictures of the chicks. I made sure they all got out of the new house okay, and that Lily would follow them out. Nugget and Lilac literally tumbled out of the house, and went up and down the ramp a few times until Lily extracted herself, with sleepy Popcorn under her.
They spent the day in the run, sunbathing and getting fed tidbits by Lily - very happy and content chicks! I got some new photos of them too.

I put some "toys" in the run in the evening, as they are getting quite adventurous! I gave them a large stick to practice perching, and a few pieces of wood to climb and sit on. The branch was an instant hit, with Nugget running along the whole length of it!

Nugget Age: 5 days
Lilac & Popcorn Age: 8 days
Highest daytime temperature: 19c (66f)
Overnight lowest outside temperature tonight: 13c (55f)

 

[Ambera]

Monday 25th September 2023

I can't believe Nugget is almost a week old already! Time has flown!

I'm getting rather scared that both Nugget and Lilac are going to be cockerels, Nugget especially (that comb is growing!). Nugget is also very boisterous, Lilac is also active and lively - though I noticed them spending a lot more time quietly by themself today. Popcorn is a bit more withdrawn, the lowest of the pecking order - I will be surprised if they don't turn out to be a hen!

In an ideal world, I've love for all 3 to be hens... I will have to give them away if they are cockerels... I hope I get two hens, but think I just have to convince myself I will be lucky to get any! I love the lavender color of Lilac, I would LOVE to keep them.... same with Nugget just because I hatched them... oh well, what will be will be.

I weighed them all again today:

• Nugget: 52g (+12g)
• Lilac: 45g (+10g)
• Popcorn: 30g (+5g)

It seems Popcorn is developing at a slower rate than the other two - the yellow puffball is starting to look quite small when next to the other two! You would think that Nug and Lilac are the same age, not Lilac and Popcorn!
Nugget and Lilac both have fully feathered wings by now, but Popcorn is still just a bit fluffy winged at 9 days old!
It's either that Popcorn is younger than the hatcher said, or is the runt of the litter, or is sick, or is just developing slower and smaller than the other two - perhaps as they could be cockerels?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do chicks of the same breed and same age develop at different rates?

Popcorn is still gaping after drinking, and I saw them doing it whilst sunbathing too - maybe they are just a bit of a sickly one? I gave them a few drops of Verm-X (natural prebiotic for gut hygiene) and Battles Poultry drink (energy sugar syrup with minerals) in their water.

I gave Lily a proper size dustbath, as I could see her desperate to get into the mini sandpit I had put in their run! I filled a gardening seed tray with sand and put it in the run, Lily was straight in for a roll around! The chicks kept trying to get involved, so maybe they will learn soon? I didn't see any of them actually have a dustbath....

Lily also loved the dustbath, as it gave her the height to reach the top of the run and peck at spiders and woodlice! She kept bringing little wriggly treats to the chicks, proudly presenting them with it - they'd then grab it and run off! So fun to watch. I went and found her a few more tiny woodlice for the chicks to enjoy.

Other than that, the chicks just enjoyed the day scrambling around the run - it's turning into a bit of an obstacle course but they are loving climbing everything and running along the perch! They also love to sit on the round piece of wood, maybe it's nice and warm in the sun?

Nugget Age: 6 days
Lilac & Popcorn Age: 9 days
Highest daytime temperature: 19c (66f)
Overnight lowest outside temperature tonight: 13c (55f)

 

[The Welch Chickens]

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do chicks of the same breed and same age develop at different rates?

I think so; I know some of our chicks developed their first tiny wings faster than others.