Ok guys and gals I have a few pics of my three Phoenix hens who have sat together and successfully hatched out chicks. Two are alive and doing well but they accidentally squashed one. Now for the rest of the story
Back in early february I set a bator full to hatch. One of my phoenix hens started setting at the same time so I waited a a about 4 -5 days made sure she was staying on the nest and then slapped about 8 eggs under her to hatch out. She abandoned the nest 3 days later and started setting on a nest in her normal accomodations. i moved the 8 eggs back under her and she moved nests, again.... I decided to just leave her alone and see what she would do. A few days later a second hen joined her and so now I had two hens setting in one place. A few days later a third added herself to the party. They now had about a dozen plus phoenix eggs under them. 7 were under the first hen and the other two swapped the other 5 or 6 between them. Finally, after literally a whole month they have hatched out the chicks. Of course most of the eggs went bad. We have at this time candled and removed all of the eggs from them as they need to stop this silly setting behavior. It had been so long since the first hen had been on the nest when the first chick finally arrived I being an idiot moved her and the chick to another pen and coop. She promptly abandoned the little tyke and went back to sit on her rotten eggs *verified*. Yesterday evening we were in the process of collecting the rest of the eggs to dispose of them, lo and behold one had dime sized hole in it getting ready to zip. We rushed it into the house and popped it into one of the already cooking bators to finish hatching out as we did not want another baby crushed by the three new moms. We did candle the rest and only one more looked promising so its in the bator also but in two more days its going to be disposed of if it has not hatched as we do not want it blowing up in the bator full of eggs. So here are a few pics of the hens with pics of the chicks to come tonight or tomorrow. *newest chick pics coming asap*
and pics of the first chick when we brought it inside. When it was abandoned by new mommy there was a heat lamp water and food available for it as it is about 4 days older than the newest one that hatched last night.
*EDIT* The most hidden hen is the first hen the one furthest right is the last hen to start setting. The first hen hatched two, one living one squashed, the last hen hatched one and a still possible. Sorry about leaving that important detail out.
*edit* grammer
Back in early february I set a bator full to hatch. One of my phoenix hens started setting at the same time so I waited a a about 4 -5 days made sure she was staying on the nest and then slapped about 8 eggs under her to hatch out. She abandoned the nest 3 days later and started setting on a nest in her normal accomodations. i moved the 8 eggs back under her and she moved nests, again.... I decided to just leave her alone and see what she would do. A few days later a second hen joined her and so now I had two hens setting in one place. A few days later a third added herself to the party. They now had about a dozen plus phoenix eggs under them. 7 were under the first hen and the other two swapped the other 5 or 6 between them. Finally, after literally a whole month they have hatched out the chicks. Of course most of the eggs went bad. We have at this time candled and removed all of the eggs from them as they need to stop this silly setting behavior. It had been so long since the first hen had been on the nest when the first chick finally arrived I being an idiot moved her and the chick to another pen and coop. She promptly abandoned the little tyke and went back to sit on her rotten eggs *verified*. Yesterday evening we were in the process of collecting the rest of the eggs to dispose of them, lo and behold one had dime sized hole in it getting ready to zip. We rushed it into the house and popped it into one of the already cooking bators to finish hatching out as we did not want another baby crushed by the three new moms. We did candle the rest and only one more looked promising so its in the bator also but in two more days its going to be disposed of if it has not hatched as we do not want it blowing up in the bator full of eggs. So here are a few pics of the hens with pics of the chicks to come tonight or tomorrow. *newest chick pics coming asap*
and pics of the first chick when we brought it inside. When it was abandoned by new mommy there was a heat lamp water and food available for it as it is about 4 days older than the newest one that hatched last night.
*EDIT* The most hidden hen is the first hen the one furthest right is the last hen to start setting. The first hen hatched two, one living one squashed, the last hen hatched one and a still possible. Sorry about leaving that important detail out.
*edit* grammer
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