Sadly the first chick that externally pipped before the others, didn't make it failing to zip but 16 others did hatch! Pretty happy with my first try at incubating.
I have 11 hens and most are named. There's Ruby a Rhode island red, Dolly (Parton) and Barba - Easter Eggers named for their hairdo (crest) and whiskers. Then there's Dove a light Sussex named cos she looked like a white dove as a chick. No longer unfortunately as she's broody and vicious if you...
Don't discount cats - I lost 2 18 week wyandotte pullets and a full grown hen to a feral cat. We heard the racket from the free range coop and followed drag marks to find the cat crouched over my freshly killed hen in the hedge. Fortunately a shotgun solved that problem and we haven't lost...
Thank you so much for your support. I think I'll leave mum and chicks in the stable for a couple of weeks as there is plenty of room and I shut it up at night to keep out predators.
PS is that a Pyrenees guarding your chooks?
I have mum and chicks in a separate old stable with hay bedding on the concrete floor. Mum has a cardboard box on its side that she retreats into with her chicks. Chick food and water within easy reach. On last check the chick is now slowly mobile but nowhere near as active or agile as its...
Well surprisingly the chick is still alive but markedly weaker and less mobile than its siblings. I haven't seen it eating yet either. Should it be starting to eat at a day old?
Thank you. Both mumma hen and I are new to hatching/ raising chicks. She has been incredible given the drawn out circumstances of the incubation and hatch.The chick s head was obviously stuck and it was unable to free its head. Perhaps I should have just left it at freeing the top half but I...
I had 2 young pullets go broody after a month laying so I gave the first one 8 fertile eggs. The other broody joined her a few days later and was thieving her eggs so I ended up giving her 4 of her own. Not that that worked as they played musical eggs every time one of them got off their nest...
Yes she pecked me alright but I just picked her up and dumped her on the floor and blocked off the nest box with a metal fence which she tried to fly back through. Then she squawked an angry raucous sounding bok bok bok (not an egg song sound) for at least 10 minutes. One very p...d off hen.