1st chicken grandma experience turning hell...

[aguamarina]

Hello, my sweetest pet's name is Koko. Like Coco Chanel.

After having such a sweet hen since baby chick, I wanted to do something nice for her.

This lovely animal has helped me so much. I had a stressed period with depression for 3 months, and I can assure she took me out of it.

First thing had to get up from bed to feed her and so on. Life is stressing and you never know when is going to hit you badly.

Anyways. The first time she went in broody mode she stayed in the nest 40 days, of course had no eggs.

I live in an apartment and gave a big patio with barbecue area, she has her nest ther now, protected from strong wind and rain.

I decided the next time she goes broody I will let her have her own chicks. She not only cought heavy red mite attack I noticed yesterday. She ended up with just one egg, having I became a baby chicken killer, by stupidity! First, cracked most of them when getting rid of the red mites that climbed all over me. When I read about nail polishing I took one by one to fix, sadly she broke one more as she noticed the crack. This one had a lovely chick inside of a week old.

I clean the whole area, threw away all, cleaned the wood with boiling warer, sprayed everything with Raid House & Garden. Killed 2 eggs and today I gave her a bath with warm water and washing powder. I dried her with the hair dryer. She was not happy, but she is so sweet and good that she allows me to do to her the worst things and when I cuddle her and talk she loves me again.

I bought the powder for the resf mites and put it all over her. When she returned to the nest broke one more cracked fixed egg, had nothing in it. At least no baby died.

One lady gave me 4 eggs, and proven fertile since I could see the baby chicks, even had a tail wings and legs. I feel terrible about my grandchickens.

I feel that with me around she wont make it. Since red mites should become under control I will try to keep away and not touch her or her only egg no more.

I wanted her to be a mom, cos I am sure she will be a great one. She noticed that out of 3 I returned only 2 eggs, after I tried to candle them. She carefully put them in order and sat on them. I felt do bad that I went again to see her, and ended up breaking one more, surprisingly it was the one with the worst crack and was doing pretty well so far.

What can I do? So far I didnt cry, but it feels so bad. I only wanted to make her happy. She is such a sweetheart, I miss sleeping with her and watching tv together, etc. coming home and her running to the house to see me. She truly deserves so much better than just one cracked nail polished egg out of 6..

To my baby I adore so much. I hugged her and no longer caref gor the red mites. Knowing she knows her eggs are gone, so protective with them, she looked like she counted them, one by one. But well, just one left, baby I am so sorry. All I can say, I will keep you by my side no matter what. You are the light of my life!

My chick, hopefully a momma in two weeks.

(-.-);;

 

[DuckCommander]

Maybe you could find someone in the area or a hatchery perhaps that would have day old chicks available and put them under her. My mom has had lots of success by giving hens chicks and they mother them like they hatched them themselves....

Where are you from? I'm probably not close enough to help and incubator is a couple weeks away from chicks....

 

[aguamarina]

Maybe you could find someone in the area or a hatchery perhaps that would have day old chicks available and put them under her. My mom has had lots of success by giving hens chicks and they mother them like they hatched them themselves....


Where are you from? I'm probably not close enough to help and incubator is a couple weeks away from chicks....

Hi, that's very good information I didn't have. Unfortunately, I live in the city and very central, people travels to this area to work everyday. So the country is very far away for me. The only option is the farm where she was born. I got her because the eggs got mixed up and she was born under a duck who didn't want her. The friends that gift her to me gave me 2 the eggs I received. But I wouldn't want to take away a chick from its momma.

Today, after all what happened, all my mistakes that let her only with one chance for a chick. She got up, I fed her. And she always allows me to be around her nest. I went for the mites powder I left near the nest, and when she saw me, she ran fast screaming. She was worried. Poor thing, she is so good but she wants her baby.

My mom had chickens when she was little, she tells me these things happened, but all I can do now is keep her with the red mites powder and wish for the best. She is good, gets up only once a day for about 20 minutes. Today is cold.

Thank you!

 

[mattsinger]

why not mail order some hatching eggs and let her start over again?

 

[aguamarina]

why not mail order some hatching eggs and let her start over again?

That's all there is to it. Probably I can get more eggs from the same lady that gave me the good ones.. I killed .

This morning I see her up, I go to the nest. She didn't care as before, didnt run behind me screaming or anything, I cannot find the egg on the nest and the I see its remains, that egg wasnt fertile, it broke and I guess she gave up since all her eggs are gone. Poor thing, she didnt have a momma as baby, that is how I took her, she adopted me right away. But I am sure she will do a great momma since the first time at 7 months old she stayed in the empty nest for 40 days, waiting..

I am more and more amazed about her, she is such a wonderful pet and a very good hen.