Bantam Cochin is about to hatch eggs, questions???

[Shanda]

OK, they've started hatching. Earlier today she actually got up and she was running around the yard like a crazy chicken for about 5 minutes. While she was away, I peeked at the eggs. Two of them had cracks in them and you could hear little chirping noises from inside. I just went out there again and one has completely hatched...I only got a little peek because she kept shoving it under her. My new question is, when do I move them out of the nesting box and into the area I have set up for them with starter food and water? How long do I wait to see which ones are going to hatch and which are not?

 

[Judy]

The same thing is going on at my house as at your house. This AM I had 2 chicks, this PM 4, two eggs left, one pipped (at least.)

You can wait up to three days to offer food and water. The chicks can live for 3 days on the yolk (that's why so many baby chicks are shipped successfully.) When she takes the chicks out to go scratching, that's when they need food and water. Probably tomorrow.

I have another broody who I suspect of being a chick killer, so I did something I wouldn't recommend, but I got away with it. I moved everyone to a new nest in my broody cage. I did it when 2 were hatched, and everyone settled down, and now two more have hatched. I think I got away with it because she wouldn't leave the two live chicks. (I had tried moving her after she'd set for a week, and she went back to her old nest, flying over a 5' fence to get there.)

It would probably be better to wait til they are through hatching. When she leaves any unhatched eggs and starts taking the chicks to scratch and peck, that's when to give up on any eggs that are left. Usually mama stays on the nest for a day or two days, then leaves it to raise the chicks.

 

[Shanda]

Five out of the seven eggs have hatched. I moved her, her chicks and her remaining two eggs to the area I set up in the coop with a heat lamp, starter food and water. I would put a picture in here, but I don't know how