Against the odds hatching thread (with pictures and questions)

[aart]

They need paintings of their people, so they don't miss them too much

 

[K0k0shka]

They need paintings of their people, so they don't miss them too much

True. They’ll be so lonely out there. Right now I can’t even open the brooder door without ending up like this:

And about 3 of them perched on each arm as I clean, pecking at earrings, hair, and everything. And they won’t get off, I have to remove them and close the door quickly before they jump on again. Damn it I should’ve built a bigger brooder and kept them in here longer!

 

[adirondak5]

My kids, ages 6 and 4, drew some pictures as housewarming presents for the chicks, for their upcoming big move. I framed them, and we’ll hang them in the coop
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Those pictures are great

 

[K0k0shka]

Last day home! Before they go out to their permanent home. Exploring new heights because the brooder is getting tight.

 

[adirondak5]

Last day home! Before they go out to their permanent home. Exploring new heights because the brooder is getting tight.
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Wow , look at them , what a difference from hatch day .

 

[K0k0shka]

Wow , look at them , what a difference from hatch day .

Yeah... they look like actual birds now, not like little balls of fluff. I miss the balls of fluff though. That stage lasted SUCH a short time!!!

 

[K0k0shka]

Some updates.

A few days ago I noticed the chicks pecking hard at the (then non-functional) nipples at the other end of their waterer, so I decided to see if they're up for trying them again. I flipped the container so the nipples would be at the bottom again and would get water, and wow - the chicks started drinking right away! I guess they haven't forgotten what that is and how it works. They've had nipples only for I think about 3 days now, and are doing just fine. Water is disappearing at about the same rate. I'll set them up with their big bucket nipple waterer at the coop when I move them tomorrow.

Here they are, drinking:

For some reason, the waterer becomes VERY interesting whenever I refill it. Even if nobody was near it before that, as soon as I take it out and put it back in, suddenly they're ALL so very thirsty and start crowding around it drinking as if I've kept them dry and thirsty all week

Update #2. The chick that hatched with a navel problem has healed completely. It never acted any different than the others, even when it had that red thing sticking out, which gave me hope. So, whatever that was, seems to have resolved itself.

Update #3. The screamer no longer screams It's by far the smallest and least feathered out of all the chicks, but it's got the biggest personality! It's always first to investigate anything new, first to grab and hog any treats or toys tossed in the brooder, if I put a dish of something in there it will step inside and stand right in the middle of it while everybody else is politely gathered around to just peck... It's very people-friendly and flies up to land on me when I open the brooder, then uses me as a ladder to get to the top of the brooder and perch there, observing its kingdom from the roof. It's everybody's favorite, and we're all really hoping it's a girl! And if it's a boy, I'm gonna have to try that no crow collar I read about. People have had good experiences with it. Doesn't hurt to try... It will be either that or the pot, so why not.

Here it is, surveying the land:

 

[K0k0shka]

I took some portrait photos before the big move. 3 weeks old today! We’ll move them to the coop after the kids wake up from their nap.

The Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons:



The 2 Silver Laced Orpingtons:



The 1 Partridge Orpington:


And the 4 Silver Laced Barnevelders:

 

[K0k0shka]

The new kids have moved out!


And the coop is finally finished! I'll take some nice official photos and post them on my build thread. The run is still under construction, but it's over halfway done. I gave them three roosts - two "big chicken" roosts for when they grow up (one 2 feet off the ground, the other 3 feet, 1 foot from each other and the tall one is 1 foot from the wall, with 3 feet in front of the shorter one), and a "baby roost" closer to the ground where they can reach it now. The baby roost is free-standing, so I can take it out when they're old enough to reach the taller roosts. Or I can reposition it and leave it as a stepping roost if their heavy butts can't jump two feet up (or down).

Oh, did you notice they've got curtains, too?

( this is when I first hung the curtains; I have since removed the nest box to free up more space, since they won't need the box until the fall).

Here’s the nest box itself, in all its glory:



Art on the walls, too, and some useful things:


I showed one of the chicks where their food was in the new feeder, and all the rest followed:


They found the waterer on their own:


They like the baby roost, too:


I bought a second heating pad and made a second brooder plate, because their butts are getting big and somebody was always hanging out the sides before. It snowed yesterday so it's still getting pretty cold at night, and I wanted them to be comfy. I'm going to keep the brooder (with the door removed) in the coop for a few days until they get used to their new home. Less stress if they have a familiar safe space to go back to after exploring. So that's their sleeping quarters now:


I also got a WYZE pan cam (thank you @adirondak5 for the recommendation!) so I can check on them:

They don't seem to notice the sound of the camera panning and tilting, or if they notice, they don't seem to care. Having grown up in a house with young kids, and the unbelievable decibels they can produce, these chicks don't give a **** about a tiny motor sound Tomorrow we'll try talking to them through the speaker.

Night mode works fine, too. Everybody went under their heater as the sun went down. I like that the camera has a mic so I can hear them as well.


All in all, move day was a total success. The chicks didn't freak out at all and were curious about everything - from being carried inside their brooder three stories down and out along a busy street to the back yard, to being released into their new coop, and all the exciting shrieks of the kids, who helped with everything. I really think having spent 3 weeks in the house with the kids has hardened these chicks a LOT, to where they're unfazed by any kind or level of sound now, and are quite okay being touched, picked up and moved. Even the ones that aren't too excited about being picked up, are actually okay if you just pet them as they're on the ground. They don't try to slink away.

I'm very happy with how everything went - the 3 weeks in the house were great (no problems at all, and I'd heard so many "never again" stories about brooding indoors), and the move went really well. These chicks have been such a soothing balm on our coronavirus frustrations

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I took some portrait photos before the big move. 3 weeks old today! We’ll move them to the coop after the kids wake up from their nap.

The Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons:

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The 2 Silver Laced Orpingtons:
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The 1 Partridge Orpington:
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And the 4 Silver Laced Barnevelders:
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It's still very early but I'm definitely spotting some combs reddening up. Have you taken any guesses on roos yet? I always like to guess even if I'm growing them all out. I've learned a lot by doing this.

New digs are gorgeous! They'll be so happy and safe in there. I think you'll be surprised how quickly they abandon the brooder plate and start roosting.