Broodies on eggs? Broodies with babies? Post here.

[EllyMae]

Well, my hatch is due Saturday march 14...I need some serious moral support! Last weekend when I candled, the only ones looking good were the Australian spotted bantam duckies....the cochins and Buff Orps didn't look like veining was happening like the ducks did. I am going to candle tonight because I figure I should really be seeing someting by now and if I don't I will remove the duds.

 

[pbjmaker]

Is it OK to remove the ones that aren't developing? Or does that stress the mama hen out? I realize they can't count but maybe the eggs "feel" a certain way under her?

 

[EllyMae]

yeah, it's best to get them out from under her if they aren't developing...that gives more room for the ones that are.

 

[Ducklove334]

I've got eggsactly (

) two weeks left with our broody, she's setting on 8 of her eggs, and a blue swedish egg,

I'm getting anxious already!

 

[gckiddhouse]

I took the last 2 eggs out of the nest this morning. One had died before it completed development, and the other was fully developed, but didn't hatch. I may have messed up that one when I started messing with chicks and lifting the hen.
Anyway, now that the eggs are gone, the broody has been up and walking around a bit. She and the chicks are eating and drinking and pooping! All seems well.
She needed to get up 'cause the little ones kept pecking at her face. They were really pecking at her eyes and causing little wounds around her eyes. I am really glad to see her up and around.
I will post pics later today. I really can't tell what I have with my Marans. I definitely have 2 cockerels and 2 pullets, but the other 2 are difficult for my untrained eyes to determine. They have a lot of yellow on them, but are dark in color.
My dd has started naming the chicks. The names we have are General Mustard (for one of the roos), Nyla, Star and Dot (short for Dorothy).

Melissa, we love the little faverolle chick - so cute!! We are so hoping that it is a pullet. If not, then we will have to order more so we will have a pullet to go with our roo.

We had about a 50% hatch rate. Just a little better than what you told us to expect. If I hadn't started messing with the new chicks there may have been 2 more, so we are very happy with what we got. Will look for you to help me sex the Marans as soon as I get pics up. Thanks so much!!!

Good luck to all the other pending hatches. Who had one due the same day as me???? Any news???

 

[Chicken Girl]

Well pearl has been siting for 5 days!!! YEAH!! We put some chicken wire on the fron of the box so the other chckens dont mess with her. She has room to move around and stuff. So when should i candel? I know how to do that but when do i?


Chicken Girl

 

[chickie momma di]

Hi everyone!We have a Gracie update........

she (i hope) made it through the night!!!!

I wish i knew how to post pics ( I'll be teaching myself) because she is the sweetest little thing I've ever seen in my life... Her name is Hope.

Because we hope she is a girl, we hope she stays alive, and we hope momma will take care of business.
She is yellow with blackish/brown verticle stripes down her back, yellowish feet (4 toes) and the most culldey little thing I've ever met. We don't know the breed of chicken she came from (a friend gave us eggs cause we used all of Gracies) We had no idea what we would find in the am. When me and DH went to the house at 6am ( couldn't waite) we didn't know what we would see or hear, at first we didn't hear anything, so DH lifted Gracie just a little cause if it wasn't gonna be good we couldn't leave the passed chick under her.......... so when he did that out popped a little fuzzy!!!!!!

I wasn't in the right position to see it so I was bummin cause we wanted to just leave her alone to do her thing.
We had to go to the feed store to get baby food. While I was getting ready I kept hearing Mr. Chubbs crowing like crazy,(not typical for him) so DH offered to go out and see what all the comotion was all about.
Well let me tell ya Mr. Chubbs is the HERO of the day. Hope had fallen out of the nest (was still up about 14in) and was in the corner crying up a storm. Still only 60 here in MA, not good. Gracie was still sittin on 2 eggs so I'm guessing she must have been torn between getting down and saving Hope or staying on the 2 to hatch (not likely I think day 24).
We were wondering how Mr. Chubbs would take to the baby and I guess now we know.

He is the perfect Daddy. He could have done anything to that helpless chick and instead he chose to call for help.

Now that' a good Dad. Anyway we got an old kitty carrier (a roomy one) and moved the nest to the floor and put it in that. Momma accepted it after a little protest and took Hope back no problem. We had taken Hope in for pics and a quick warm up after her ordeal. Everyone is outside now with food and water so everyone can reach and a blend of chick starter that does not have antibotics. It contains Bio Mos instead. Adult food is too high for baby to reach so is regular waterer. Special one on floor w/rocks for baby. We are happy!!

Best wishes to all others waiting for your little fuzzies.

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

Well update on my newly Muscovie Mother, well as of Saturday night she had 7 ducklings, five of which I had to help out. When I returned I expected to find.. maybe one or two more... but when I arrived home on Sunday morning, she had a whoping 17!

And yes, I have pics

 

[EllyMae]

Seeing the picture of the beautiful baby ducks and there sweet mamma made me think of a question:
If and when my bantam ducks hatch...will my broody cochin accept them or will I need to take them away from her. I really want her to keep them if possible since she has worked so hard to hatch them.

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:
How WONDERFUL!!!!!

They are sooooo cute!!!

They seem so big compared to my chicken babies. And they are out following her around!!!!!
I think my hen would love to go out to range, but with all the other hens and the dog, we will wait a week or two.

Congratulations!!!!