Another "I can't wait for my chicks to hatch" post

humblehillsfarm

Crazy chicken lady
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My Coop
My Coop
I am two weeks into a hatch under a broody. She's sitting on 5 eggs (it was six but I dropped one less than 12 hours after sitting them under her, whoops). Anyways, in week one, three times I came home to barely warm or cold eggs after she went into the wrong nest box. At the end of week two, all the eggs seem a touch heavier and don't smell bad, but I haven't candled them. They should hatch probably Sunday or Monday, if they hatch at all.

I was worrying quite a bit until I found this article: https://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx which calmed my fears that the entire hatch is a bust. It was a super interesting read on the effects of temp changes while incubating eggs.


Here's the dad. He's a mutt hatched from a friend's eggs on April 25th of this year.
1597771786386.png


Here's the broody mom. I had put at least one of her eggs under her, but there were five blue eggs, and one was dropped. Hopefully not hers because I was really wanting to see what a chick from those two would look like. She's a blue Ameracuana. The other blue eggs were from two "partridge" looking EEs and there is one brown egg which could be from either a buff brahma or a barred rock.
1597771822643.png
 
I am two weeks into a hatch under a broody. She's sitting on 5 eggs (it was six but I dropped one less than 12 hours after sitting them under her, whoops). Anyways, in week one, three times I came home to barely warm or cold eggs after she went into the wrong nest box. At the end of week two, all the eggs seem a touch heavier and don't smell bad, but I haven't candled them. They should hatch probably Sunday or Monday, if they hatch at all.

I was worrying quite a bit until I found this article: https://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx which calmed my fears that the entire hatch is a bust. It was a super interesting read on the effects of temp changes while incubating eggs.


Here's the dad. He's a mutt hatched from a friend's eggs on April 25th of this year.
View attachment 2295744

Here's the broody mom. I had put at least one of her eggs under her, but there were five blue eggs, and one was dropped. Hopefully not hers because I was really wanting to see what a chick from those two would look like. She's a blue Ameracuana. The other blue eggs were from two "partridge" looking EEs and there is one brown egg which could be from either a buff brahma or a barred rock.
View attachment 2295746
Awesome looking birds! I know, the wait is terrible. I'm currently waiting on my half shells. Fingers crossed, only 4 more days.
 
Awesome looking birds! I know, the wait is terrible. I'm currently waiting on my half shells. Fingers crossed, only 4 more days.
The halfshells are soo cool! Fingers crossed!

And then here I am excited just to have my hen start brooding on her nest. Hopefully like her family she restarts after ten eggs are there. Seems to be the magic number
Ugh this is the third time this year my girl is broody. She's so persistant. This will be her second hatch. A little perversely (by some folks standards I suppose), she raised the rooster lol but they aren't related. I am really counting on a neighbor to dispatch any new roosters for me, which is the only reason I'm giving her more eggs.
 
The halfshells are soo cool! Fingers crossed!


Ugh this is the third time this year my girl is broody. She's so persistant. This will be her second hatch. A little perversely (by some folks standards I suppose), she raised the rooster lol but they aren't related. I am really counting on a neighbor to dispatch any new roosters for me, which is the only reason I'm giving her more eggs.

I have a hen with 8 days left that I'm hoping desperately finally has a clutch to raise. Bless her heart she's tried 5 times before this summer alone, this is number 6 and something always gets in her nest. I'm hoping she finally has a safe spot
 
I have a hen with 8 days left that I'm hoping desperately finally has a clutch to raise. Bless her heart she's tried 5 times before this summer alone, this is number 6 and something always gets in her nest. I'm hoping she finally has a safe spot
Oh that is so tragic. When I let her hatch last time it was spring so I locked her in a permanent spot in the coop. She had food and water inside but she couldn't leave the coop. It's been too hot here and I just didn't want to risk her not being leave the coop hence why she's gotten on the wrong nest so many times. We just need to get through the week. My anxiety is so high!

I had this insane dream last night I dropped one of the eggs and a chick was in it, stood up, and ran away!!
 
Oh that is so tragic. When I let her hatch last time it was spring so I locked her in a permanent spot in the coop. She had food and water inside but she couldn't leave the coop. It's been too hot here and I just didn't want to risk her not being leave the coop hence why she's gotten on the wrong nest so many times. We just need to get through the week. My anxiety is so high!

I had this insane dream last night I dropped one of the eggs and a chick was in it, stood up, and ran away!!
That dream :gig
 
Oh that is so tragic. When I let her hatch last time it was spring so I locked her in a permanent spot in the coop. She had food and water inside but she couldn't leave the coop. It's been too hot here and I just didn't want to risk her not being leave the coop hence why she's gotten on the wrong nest so many times. We just need to get through the week. My anxiety is so high!

I had this insane dream last night I dropped one of the eggs and a chick was in it, stood up, and ran away!!
Mine live 24 hour free range in our barn and panic when they can't get out to that least say hi to their male.
 
I must lament again. I thought chicks were due to hatch Sunday. I remembered putting the date in my calendar but when I looked I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t find it because they were due to hatch yesterday. Well I do assume that if the hen staying off the nest didn’t kill the eggs, it would have delayed the hatch. Not knowing that hatch day was yesterday or today, last night I picked them all up for a “sniff test” to make sure none were rotting. I hope I didn’t mess anything up 😭 the waiting game is so hard!
 

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