That's too bad she had such a poor hatch rate!
I know that I've had more temp issues incubating since it's warmer. My Genesis 1588 seems to be still doing a nice job, just lowered the temp like to 99.2*, so it doesn't overheat.
Sorry to everyone else who has poor hatch rates. It's always sad, especially when they make it "full term" but don't hatch.
I had several that pipped & started to zip, but then died. Not sure why.
Still got quit a few CL/EE cuties from @Susieq2015 - who I have gave to 2 broodies who'd hatched chicks, but I'd given them to another hen.
They decided to leave their nests the day I was planning on giving them the incubator chicks! But, they were still acting broody, like they were
going around & clucking to "invisible" chicks. When I came out with two chicks to see how they'd react, they came right over.
Separated them out from the rest of the flock, gave them a few more chicks - in the daylight, no less! And they accepted them & they're doing so well outside with the broodies.
I had two scares last night - we were coming home late last night & there was a huge black bear running down the road. My brother thinks the bear was about 300lbs, and it was less than 1/2 a mile away,
just up the road from us! Yikes! I immediately thought of the 6 moveable pens out on pasture. They're pretty "secure" with hardware cloth, hinged metal roofs, but not for a bear! A little spring-loaded "locking" gate latch to keep the roof secure won't keep a bear away, not to mention he could just flip over the pens easily! Hopefully, he was just passing through & won't come for a visit.
(Dad just came back from a walk & found two claw prints in the dirt on the side of the road. He said the prints were about the size of his fist.)
It was totally dark when we got home, & I had to go close up the coops. One was a pasture pen of small chicks & turkey poults who sleep inside a plastic crate as night, as they're not totally feathered out yet.
A little scary going out there, knowing there's a bear in the neighborhood!
Everything was fine, thankfully, until I got to the coop where I have the Spitz broody. Yesterday was the first day out of her crate with her 5 chicks. I checked underneath her & there was only 2 chicks.
Mom & I looked everywhere, and no chicks. I finally took the broody out of the coop, hoping she'd call for the chicks & they'd come out of hiding. She went under the coop & settled down between the tire & cinder block. Of course, it was in the very middle, where I could barely reach her with a tool, but she wouldn't budge. So, I had to get the screwdriver to unscrew boards around the base of the coop, to get her out from underneath. The missing 3 chicks were safe & sound!
