AmsoilJim
Songster
Stared 3 weeks ago with 3 broody hens.
Two i moved to a separate coop and one I left where she was with the flock(this was a bad idea)
Chicken #1 that was left with the flock started with 12 eggs, all marked with the date on them. However, even though she was in her own little 11" square nest box several of the other chickens were going and squeezing in the box next to her or on top of her and laying their eggs. This is the main reason i believe why she ended up only hatch 1 chick. Several times I took 6-8 extra eggs out from under her. At the 7 day check I think their were 8 unmarked eggs under her and 3 of the marked eggs were missing. I suspect they were broken by all the extra movement in there. Over the next week I just kept removing extra eggs. Day 18 came and there were still 9 original marked eggs. But on day 20 I found a busted egg and a dead chick. Day 21 I heard chirping and saw a second egg that looked like the chick was breaking out, but on day 22 the egg had not changed and upon closer inspection the egg must have been stepped on and broken because the fully developed chick was dead and the beak was not where the eggs was broken open and the yoke was not fully absorbed. On day 23 that chicken left the nest and was tending to her 1 chick so I took a looking the nest and to my surprise the remaining eggs were all unmarked. So im at a lost as to what happened to 6 marked eggs in those few days, because other that the one chick and the 2 dead there were no remains of any other chicks in there.
Chicken #2 this is one that was separated and she was very good at staying on the eggs as I never actually saw her off of them. She started with 6 eggs, she kick 1 out early and took 5 up to day 18 and then some where between days 18 to 21 one disappeared so on day 21 when I check her 2 had hatched but after a couple hours the chick had left or fallen out of the nest box and she left the remaining two eggs, So I quickly popped them under chicken #3.
Chicken #3 she was not very good at her job. She was also in the separate coop but she was the only one that I would actually see off her eggs. She started with 4 eggs, kicked 2 out and then laid one more. So she had 3 eggs to the end and on day 22 one of the 2 eggs from chicken #2 hatched and on day 23 I shoed her off and check that remaining eggs to find one with black goo inside and the other 2 with just yellow yolk inside.
So this has been my first experience with broody chickens and how I ended up with 4 baby chicks. Im not sure on what eggs/chick hatched. The roo was a Cuckoo Maran and some of the eggs were from Cuckoo Maran hens other wise they are some mix. 2 of the chick do look like cuckoo maran chick while one is all yellow and the other has a yellow head and a kinda grey body.
I ended up moving chicken #1 and her 1 chick to the separate coop as its easier to give all the chick food and water in the one area.
As you can see both black chicks have a white dot on the head which could indicate a male... we will see, I dispatched the roo after attacking my 3 year old daughter twice along with my wife.
Two i moved to a separate coop and one I left where she was with the flock(this was a bad idea)
Chicken #1 that was left with the flock started with 12 eggs, all marked with the date on them. However, even though she was in her own little 11" square nest box several of the other chickens were going and squeezing in the box next to her or on top of her and laying their eggs. This is the main reason i believe why she ended up only hatch 1 chick. Several times I took 6-8 extra eggs out from under her. At the 7 day check I think their were 8 unmarked eggs under her and 3 of the marked eggs were missing. I suspect they were broken by all the extra movement in there. Over the next week I just kept removing extra eggs. Day 18 came and there were still 9 original marked eggs. But on day 20 I found a busted egg and a dead chick. Day 21 I heard chirping and saw a second egg that looked like the chick was breaking out, but on day 22 the egg had not changed and upon closer inspection the egg must have been stepped on and broken because the fully developed chick was dead and the beak was not where the eggs was broken open and the yoke was not fully absorbed. On day 23 that chicken left the nest and was tending to her 1 chick so I took a looking the nest and to my surprise the remaining eggs were all unmarked. So im at a lost as to what happened to 6 marked eggs in those few days, because other that the one chick and the 2 dead there were no remains of any other chicks in there.
Chicken #2 this is one that was separated and she was very good at staying on the eggs as I never actually saw her off of them. She started with 6 eggs, she kick 1 out early and took 5 up to day 18 and then some where between days 18 to 21 one disappeared so on day 21 when I check her 2 had hatched but after a couple hours the chick had left or fallen out of the nest box and she left the remaining two eggs, So I quickly popped them under chicken #3.
Chicken #3 she was not very good at her job. She was also in the separate coop but she was the only one that I would actually see off her eggs. She started with 4 eggs, kicked 2 out and then laid one more. So she had 3 eggs to the end and on day 22 one of the 2 eggs from chicken #2 hatched and on day 23 I shoed her off and check that remaining eggs to find one with black goo inside and the other 2 with just yellow yolk inside.
So this has been my first experience with broody chickens and how I ended up with 4 baby chicks. Im not sure on what eggs/chick hatched. The roo was a Cuckoo Maran and some of the eggs were from Cuckoo Maran hens other wise they are some mix. 2 of the chick do look like cuckoo maran chick while one is all yellow and the other has a yellow head and a kinda grey body.
I ended up moving chicken #1 and her 1 chick to the separate coop as its easier to give all the chick food and water in the one area.
As you can see both black chicks have a white dot on the head which could indicate a male... we will see, I dispatched the roo after attacking my 3 year old daughter twice along with my wife.
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