That is a great story! Thank you for Sharing it.I've been following the day to day "in the life of California - Northern". Loving all the spring chicks and sorry for those lost, challenged and dispatched.
I want to share a story that I think everyone will find enduring, interesting and maybe educational.
From the hatch before my last hatch of fancy pancy Black Copper Marans from debs_flock and SunnyDawns eggsI hatched a bunch of my EE's, OE's and Polish. All of them were presold except I came up short by one chick for last order of six. There were a couple who were weak so I didn't want to let them go until I knew they would make it and one of the orders wanted more of the OE's so I let him take them, leaving me with one OE and two weaker chicks. Both of the weak chicks died and I was left with the one OE. I went back and forth on offering the lone chick to one of the families who bought the other chicks but I REALLY want an OE! She has the greatest personality and didn't make a huge fuss about being alone at night. She'd only jump out of her brooder in the evenings to come out on the deck and sit with us but was content with various stuffed animals left over from our kids to keep her happy.
I took her up every morning to socialize with the flock and she was good with them but followed me like I was her mom. Before the Marans hatched she was spending her days outside with the new BCM roo Fire Man and his two Blue Copper Marans hens and coming inside at night, still needing the light to keep her warm.
The Marans hatch was due and I hoped she would integrate with them but wasn't sure which way to send her since she was almost ready to go outside. Of course, she was huge compared to the new chicks but within a couple of days I gave her the chance with them. She seemed so happy to have company more within her age so she found her place.
Since she was a hatched chick she really doesn't have the language to talk to the chicks but as the days went on she took her role serious. When a butterfly went over she made a warning sound and the chicks seemed to take note. When the chicks went back in the brooder after their free ranging time I thought she would go back to the Marans where she had been hanging but she didn't want to be separated from them so she took the cooler end of the brooder or hopped up on the roost to cool off but she didn't want to leave them.
The last week has been so windy that the last couple of days wasn't a good time to let them out to stretch their wings so today I moved them up to the grow out pen. When I got home this evening I collected the crew, with some resistance from the baby mama...she really liked the grow out pen, but she hopped up on the basket she'd been riding on since she was a wee hatchling 6 weeks ago and I put them all back in the brooder. My husband had moved the brooder out of the garage to get his '65 Landcruiser out and I needed help putting it back so I left it without the light turned on.
When we went out to move it in the garage and plug in the light, there was this sweet 6 week old OE with 12, 2 week old Marans tucked under her little wings! When we moved it and turned the light on, little heads popped out from under her wings like she was a seasoned broody! It was truly the sweetest thing I have ever seen.
I worried about so many things with raising a lone chick but I certainly never expected her to turn out to be an incredible mom at 6 weeks!I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of it.
That is a great story, maybe you could write a kids book about her!I've been following the day to day "in the life of California - Northern". Loving all the spring chicks and sorry for those lost, challenged and dispatched.
I want to share a story that I think everyone will find enduring, interesting and maybe educational.
From the hatch before my last hatch of fancy pancy Black Copper Marans from debs_flock and SunnyDawns eggsI hatched a bunch of my EE's, OE's and Polish. All of them were presold except I came up short by one chick for last order of six. There were a couple who were weak so I didn't want to let them go until I knew they would make it and one of the orders wanted more of the OE's so I let him take them, leaving me with one OE and two weaker chicks. Both of the weak chicks died and I was left with the one OE. I went back and forth on offering the lone chick to one of the families who bought the other chicks but I REALLY want an OE! She has the greatest personality and didn't make a huge fuss about being alone at night. She'd only jump out of her brooder in the evenings to come out on the deck and sit with us but was content with various stuffed animals left over from our kids to keep her happy.
I took her up every morning to socialize with the flock and she was good with them but followed me like I was her mom. Before the Marans hatched she was spending her days outside with the new BCM roo Fire Man and his two Blue Copper Marans hens and coming inside at night, still needing the light to keep her warm.
The Marans hatch was due and I hoped she would integrate with them but wasn't sure which way to send her since she was almost ready to go outside. Of course, she was huge compared to the new chicks but within a couple of days I gave her the chance with them. She seemed so happy to have company more within her age so she found her place.
Since she was a hatched chick she really doesn't have the language to talk to the chicks but as the days went on she took her role serious. When a butterfly went over she made a warning sound and the chicks seemed to take note. When the chicks went back in the brooder after their free ranging time I thought she would go back to the Marans where she had been hanging but she didn't want to be separated from them so she took the cooler end of the brooder or hopped up on the roost to cool off but she didn't want to leave them.
The last week has been so windy that the last couple of days wasn't a good time to let them out to stretch their wings so today I moved them up to the grow out pen. When I got home this evening I collected the crew, with some resistance from the baby mama...she really liked the grow out pen, but she hopped up on the basket she'd been riding on since she was a wee hatchling 6 weeks ago and I put them all back in the brooder. My husband had moved the brooder out of the garage to get his '65 Landcruiser out and I needed help putting it back so I left it without the light turned on.
When we went out to move it in the garage and plug in the light, there was this sweet 6 week old OE with 12, 2 week old Marans tucked under her little wings! When we moved it and turned the light on, little heads popped out from under her wings like she was a seasoned broody! It was truly the sweetest thing I have ever seen.
I worried about so many things with raising a lone chick but I certainly never expected her to turn out to be an incredible mom at 6 weeks!I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of it.
That would be the cutest kids book! Thank you for sharing the story. Such a sweet one!
I've been following the day to day "in the life of California - Northern". Loving all the spring chicks and sorry for those lost, challenged and dispatched.
I want to share a story that I think everyone will find enduring, interesting and maybe educational.
From the hatch before my last hatch of fancy pancy Black Copper Marans from debs_flock and SunnyDawns eggsI hatched a bunch of my EE's, OE's and Polish. All of them were presold except I came up short by one chick for last order of six. There were a couple who were weak so I didn't want to let them go until I knew they would make it and one of the orders wanted more of the OE's so I let him take them, leaving me with one OE and two weaker chicks. Both of the weak chicks died and I was left with the one OE. I went back and forth on offering the lone chick to one of the families who bought the other chicks but I REALLY want an OE! She has the greatest personality and didn't make a huge fuss about being alone at night. She'd only jump out of her brooder in the evenings to come out on the deck and sit with us but was content with various stuffed animals left over from our kids to keep her happy.
I took her up every morning to socialize with the flock and she was good with them but followed me like I was her mom. Before the Marans hatched she was spending her days outside with the new BCM roo Fire Man and his two Blue Copper Marans hens and coming inside at night, still needing the light to keep her warm.
The Marans hatch was due and I hoped she would integrate with them but wasn't sure which way to send her since she was almost ready to go outside. Of course, she was huge compared to the new chicks but within a couple of days I gave her the chance with them. She seemed so happy to have company more within her age so she found her place.
Since she was a hatched chick she really doesn't have the language to talk to the chicks but as the days went on she took her role serious. When a butterfly went over she made a warning sound and the chicks seemed to take note. When the chicks went back in the brooder after their free ranging time I thought she would go back to the Marans where she had been hanging but she didn't want to be separated from them so she took the cooler end of the brooder or hopped up on the roost to cool off but she didn't want to leave them.
The last week has been so windy that the last couple of days wasn't a good time to let them out to stretch their wings so today I moved them up to the grow out pen. When I got home this evening I collected the crew, with some resistance from the baby mama...she really liked the grow out pen, but she hopped up on the basket she'd been riding on since she was a wee hatchling 6 weeks ago and I put them all back in the brooder. My husband had moved the brooder out of the garage to get his '65 Landcruiser out and I needed help putting it back so I left it without the light turned on.
When we went out to move it in the garage and plug in the light, there was this sweet 6 week old OE with 12, 2 week old Marans tucked under her little wings! When we moved it and turned the light on, little heads popped out from under her wings like she was a seasoned broody! It was truly the sweetest thing I have ever seen.
I worried about so many things with raising a lone chick but I certainly never expected her to turn out to be an incredible mom at 6 weeks!I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of it.
Quote: My experience is, you've done what you can to correct what might be a chick that was malpositioned or took a little too long to hatch and needed some help getting things straightened out. At this point I decide if I want to care for a chicken with special needs (which is way more then caring for a chick with special needs...I know because I have) or if I'm going to hatch, if this could be passed on. It's your call.
I haven't either....I love pine shavings. I do remove the ones around the waterer if they get wet and if it's a lot of chicks I remove some, throw in some fresh. And I also have them in my livingroom for the first week. I thinks it's the best way to troubleshoot early issues.
I cannot imagine!!!!But I too believe it's the best way to know whats going on in your hatches.
Really? I am curious what it would entail beyond what it has already. I have no experience but was thinking that if she can get water and food and hold her own as a chick wouldn't she be OK as an adult, Am I being naive? She would not be a part of a breeding program even if she didn't walk funny. She cam from my uncle's BO who was covered by a Golden Comet roo.
