A playmate for Peepers....

[krista74]

Peepers arrived a day early on Day 20, and so far (we are now on Day 21) there is no movement or chirping to be heard or seen from the remaining 6 eggs in the nest.

I am hoping desperately that my Broody will stay on the nest and bring about a playmate for Peepers. This must be hard for her as Peepers is now very active, and keeps leaping out of the nest away from his Momma to explore around their pen!

So far, she has called him back numerous times but has not left the nest, except only briefly once to eat. I am hoping this is a good sign that something may still be happening underneath her?

Just sharing some of my anxiousness - I know there is nothing I can do but wait.....

- Krista

 

[HugHess]

I agree with you (as a newbie) that if she isn't getting off the nest then hopefully good things are going on under there.? Momma Hen must know best! Right?
Patience has never been my strongest suit, so I feel for you!
Be nice if it paid off with some more fuzz butts for everyone!

 

[krista74]

I kept a quiet eye on Broody today, and she is being a great Momma to Peepers. Peepers is full of beans now and jumping all over her, trying to peck at her eyes, ducking under and over her, and driving her to distraction!

She has been good though and calls him back when he ventures too far off the nest.

I think he is hungry now. He is a day and a half old and she is still on the nest. He wanders around their little pen cheeping and I think it's only a matter of time before she goes off with him to teach him what to eat.

We had one dead chick this morning, and no more live ones. I found the chick still under her and stuck to it's shell, and took it away. There are 5 more eggs in the nest but no pip holes and no movement.

I think Peepers will be an only child.

Lucky she loves him so. She even purrs like a cat when he comes to her!

Krista

 

[HugHess]

Glad to hear you both got a little peepers out of it...any luck with the remaining eggs?

 

[krista74]

Sadly, no.

I water-floated the remaining eggs and they were all rotten. When I opened them up (and regained consciousness!) I found that all but one were mush inside, and the last one was only half developed. I think this is the result of an exploded rotten egg which went all over the other eggs on Day 14. I should have candled them all, but I thought (misguidedly) that nature would take care of it if there was a bad one. Apparently not! It was all very sad.

Things are good with Peepers and Momma now though. She loves him so much, and purrs when he runs to her! It is just the sweetest thing ever. And now that she's not sitting there on the rotten eggs, she is actually teaching him how to scratch in the dirt, how to eat etc. All going well there.

I also have a second Broody, who is only on Day 3 today. She is sitting on 10 eggs, and I'm hoping that Peepers might get cousins to play with in a couple of weeks time. I will definitely be candling this time round - probably on Day 8 and again on Day 17 if Broody #2 is cooperative

Other than that, I'm not going to touch her or the eggs/nest at all.

- Krista