Another amazing and beautiful little miracle in life, congratulations! BTW, what is a "MFD" ? Just askin' !!I have to tell my fellow AZ BYC'ers a bizarre story!
One week ago Thursday DH and I tore down the old coop and began building the new one. (Pictures soon!)
In all of this chicken mayhem we had 2 broodies and set up 2 broody pens for them. One is doing fine, the other didn't get on her 3 eggs in her pen (although we didn't know for 2 days) we were working sunup to sundown on the coop for 3 days, wiped out and just didn't know.
So I realized that the 3 eggs had just been at ambient temperature (77-82) for 2+ days and figured they were a loss. We don't have a 'bator, and the other broody wouldn't take them (and is too tiny to cover them, being a Modern Game)
So I put the 3 eggs in one of those small Chinese soup bowls (incidentally it has roosters on it!) and stuck them in the brooder rubbermaid with Uno and Duo, figuring I'd candle them and/or deal with them later. So they sat, in the bowl near a lower temp heat lamp for 5 days with no attention. I meant to toss them last night, and forgot. When I woke up this morning, I peeked in at Uno and Duo, saw them acting spooked, and then saw THIS little face:
Now I know you're not supposed to help, or do anything, but I really didn't think this chick could hatch where it was, with probably too cool/too dry air, and being cramped in a small bowl with 2 other eggs. I moistened the membrane just before this picture but was worried the chick was getting "shrink wrapped"
So I kept her (I hope) warm in my hands while hubby ran outside to get another lamp, brooder box, etc and by the time he was back in she was working her way out and I didn't want to mess her up. So she hatched out in my hand!!
What a cool experience! She seems ok - no obvious deformities...fluffed out and walking, drinking a little, pooped 7 (!?) times and is even doing a little exploratory pecking/eating. The eye shown in the picture seems a little bit smaller than her other eye, so I'm not sure if it's a problem or not. The membrane came up to just under her lower jaw in the picture before I moistened it.
Here's the point where I decided to quit worrying about it and just let her hatch where she was, where she (apparently ) wanted to be...because ready or not she was coming out!!
I am surprised that she is interested in food already, and pooping so much. I don't remember our other chicks being that interested in food or pooping so frequently?
Any thoughts on that? Could she have absorbed her yolk earlier than normal and so be lower on stored food reserves?? Maybe because of the colder temp?
We're also not sure what she is....Dad is our Serama roo, and mother is either a MFD or a Red Pyle OEGB! I noticed she has ankle fringe, so I'm thinking MFD/Serama cross which sounds pretty hilarious.
but I will enjoy them until they crow/or not, HA!
