Consolidated Kansas

[TaraBellaBirds]

Good morning.
Does anyone know if a broody will accept babies a couple days after her own hatch. I went ahead and seperated Rebel Dottie and her babies/ She has two that had the day before yesterday and the eggs in the bator are hatching now probably through tomorrow. So the two sets will be about 4 days apart.

I will be cutting my numbers a bit today. I have 3 CX pullets that are way overdue for butcher and I want to do as many Pioneer roos as I can manage on my own. Wish me luck, this is my first solitary butcher.

 

[Trish44]

Good morning.
Does anyone know if a broody will accept babies a couple days after her own hatch. I went ahead and seperated Rebel Dottie and her babies/ She has two that had the day before yesterday and the eggs in the bator are hatching now probably through tomorrow. So the two sets will be about 4 days apart.

I will be cutting my numbers a bit today. I have 3 CX pullets that are way overdue for butcher and I want to do as many Pioneer roos as I can manage on my own. Wish me luck, this is my first solitary butcher.

Good luck with your butchering. I did my first bird by myself while my DH was gone to Canada. He came home & was surprised I was able to catch that mean rooster & then butcher it alone.

 

[chicken danz]

Tarabella, you just have to try it. Every hen is different. I think if you wait until evening your chances might be better. It's best to try to slip the chick underneath her. If she is busy picking at your hand she might no notice the new addition. However be prepared for her to also pick at the chicks and reject them entirely.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Ok, I'll give it a try tonight. For some reason my barnyard mixes hatch out on day 18 or 19 every time

!!!! I don't think that my Lav Orp eggs that I ordered are going to do anything

I had one left that I though MIGHT be viable, but I couldn't candle last night because as I switched out the eggs (off of the turner) for lockdown, one of them peeped at me

. I put them back in the bator as quick as I could!

 

[Trish44]

tarabella, sometimes they fool you, there will be one you really don't feel like is viable & it hatches. Sometimes it's just hard for whatever reason to see in the egg well enough.

 

[HEChicken]

TaraBella, I agree that each hen is different and all you can do is try. I've done it with success and I would say the most successful are the proven mothers - the ones who've raised broods for me in the past. With them I know their degree of maternal instinct and can better gauge how likely they are to adopt new chicks. My last choice would be a first-time mother simply because I don't yet know how well she parents. However if that is your only choice….all you can do is try.

I would wait until it is really night time - like 10pm or so. At that point she is so sleepy she is unlikely to even notice you slip the chicks under her, and they will, at least, survive until morning. Morning will be the test, as they emerge from under her. If she doesn't recognize them, she might reject them, but if they act just like the chicks she already had, she might decide they can stay. In your shoes, I would try to be out there at first light to observe and see how things are going.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

tarabella, sometimes they fool you, there will be one you really don't feel like is viable & it hatches. Sometimes it's just hard for whatever reason to see in the egg well enough.

These egg shells are very light colored. Most of them either weren't fertile or quite right away. It's been frustrating. I think I am done with shipped eggs either way. I left two in the bator that had been developing well, hopefully at least one of those hatches.

TaraBella, I agree that each hen is different and all you can do is try. I've done it with success and I would say the most successful are the proven mothers - the ones who've raised broods for me in the past. With them I know their degree of maternal instinct and can better gauge how likely they are to adopt new chicks. My last choice would be a first-time mother simply because I don't yet know how well she parents. However if that is your only choice….all you can do is try.

I would wait until it is really night time - like 10pm or so. At that point she is so sleepy she is unlikely to even notice you slip the chicks under her, and they will, at least, survive until morning. Morning will be the test, as they emerge from under her. If she doesn't recognize them, she might reject them, but if they act just like the chicks she already had, she might decide they can stay. In your shoes, I would try to be out there at first light to observe and see how things are going.

This is Dottie's second batch, but her first time solo (last time she co-parented) . I will give her a shot tonight with the two that hatched since I am off tomorrow too. She is super protective, so hopefully she will take them.

I have one EE that hatched and one more piping and this is only day 19!

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

One of the eggs with the purple spots is hatching!!!!!!

Hopefully I can figure out who is laying them!

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

It hatched! I think it is from my Buff Brahma hen, and of course it looks to be fathered by my Cuckoo Maran roo rather than my Buff Brahma roo

. But I finally caught a hatch on video!!!

Only I can't figure out how to upload it.......

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Well it looks like my GP puppy has found out the joys of killing chickens. Lost one yesterday and another today. DH caught him playing with the dead chick yesterday and today he was caught eating it. He's been punished severely both times but it looks like he's not safe with them. I think he killed my roo too. And I got him for the purpose of protecting them. I'm NOT happy!!!