Bay Area BYCers!

[dedicateddourly]

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That's great, Jeremy! More babies for you, hehe. I have 12 more days for mine to hatch. Excited, but scared

 

[jeremy]

I'm crazy for even letting her sit... I honestly don't need more chicks, BUT I didn't want to have to brooder raise the Coro Sussex chicks and the eggs I put under her were too good to pass up.

How is Bridget?

Have you candled any of the eggs? What day is it for her?

 

[dedicateddourly]

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Bridget is doing great. I take her off the nest everyday so she can take care of business. She seems healthy and happy. Today is day 9 and I had considered candling the eggs today, but I think I will forego it. I don't want to handle the eggs any more than is necessary. I figure, if there are any eggs that go rotten or something, she will push it out of the nest. Chickens do that, right?

So what kind of special eggs did you give your girl?

 

[dldolan]

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Nice! It is so much easier, isn't it???

Dont' forget photos of the Splash WH Ams...

 

[jeremy]

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Nice! It is so much easier, isn't it???

Dont' forget photos of the Splash WH Ams...

Yes! I honestly don't know why I ever wasted money on an incubator!

I'll try to get some pictures of my Splash Wheaten boy this weekend. I need to start calling him something, as I do plan on keeping him for awhile. I just haven't thought of a name that's really stuck yet.

 

[dldolan]

I think the two Lavs are boys. Today I think I am convinced about the iffy one...

I will keep the two WH pullets, one Silver pullet, and the White dude: "Eye Candy" or is that too frivolous???

You know what this means, right? That I will be calling in my marker for B/WH eggs in early fall!!! Need to give the Wheatie girls a boyfriend of their own... (After Little Joe gives me some Olive egger babies, that is!!

)

the chicks are not as friendly with mamahen raising them, but flock integration is so much easier, and mama makes sure they are well-cared for. Although Daphne certainly has had some issues with her broodies, so it can happen that they aren't all good mamas, I suppose. I will just keep using my tried and true Blue Cochins. Had to toss one in the dog pen for 3 days last week to get one of them over it. And so it starts again...

 

[cherylcohen]

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congrats on your broody! I have two blue wheaten marans chicks with my speckled sussex and it's so much fun to watch. Their favorite game is to jump all over mom!! I never had a broody hen that I let hatch before, how long before she gets off the nest and takes them out?

Who's coronation sussex eggs did you get? I'm still hatching Sir Giles eggs, boy the chicks are just enormous!

 

[PetRock]

Cheryl, What an adorable pic!!! We are loving having our first broody raising chicks! We have three speckled sussex chicks with a Black Australorp mama. Precious took her babies out of the dog kennel nest a day after we gave them to her. They were hatchery chicks so were already a day or two old so maybe that made a difference. I personally think that she was tired of having them pecking at her eyes and grabbing on to her eye lids!

We let them free range along with the older girls and mama is great at protecting them as well as finding things for them to eat. We give them periodic time out periods in the outside brooder where they have chick starter and the kennel to warm up in. I worry that they are not eating enough of the chick food but I guess mama knows what they need and they are growing like crazy.

 

[cherylcohen]

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Being neurotic, I've also worried about them being hungry and thirsty. I've taken them out from under her to put their beaks in water, but they quickly run back under her!

 

[cherylcohen]

Very funny from last weeks hatch. There was one chick in the bator at the time and another was almost out. The chick went over to the egg and kept pecking at it till it came out! I guess it was lonely!