- May 22, 2010
- 7
- 0
- 7
I am new to this.... both chicken farming and backyard chickens
I have posted one other time. I had a mama go broody, and she had several eggs added to her clutch on different dates (when she got off the nest to stretch-poo- and eat and drink) When I finally researched and found out I needed to separate her- there were already several eggs that I had no idea what day they had been added. I am happy to report that after moving her and not really knowing if any would hatch, that Tues and Wed a total of 4 healthy chicks have hatched and are thriving with Mama. Of the original 10 eggs this left 6. One piped and never hatched we could see its beak.Mama sat till Thurs am and then took her 4 (ADORABLE) chicks and started teaching them to eat and dust bath and all the cute things a chick does. A few times she got in the barrel we used for her nesting area, and tried to shove the eggs out. My daughter and I removed the piped but dead chick and buried it. Then we thought to candle the other 5, and they are all really close to hatching according to websites with candling pics. SO we brought them inside and put them in a milk crate with pine shavings (moist) and a heat lamp.(in our master bathtub :-0) Since we did this one has piped and we can hear peeping. The one that piped did so around 4 pm today and hasn't gotten any further. I'm guessing it needs more humidity? I have run the shower for several minutes and gotten the bathroom steamy a few times this evening and I put an umbrella over the milk crate to try and retain some of the moisture. Any other ideas of what I can do???? We have 3 little girls who begged me to "try and save the chicks" My 9 year wanted to sleep in the bathroom with them My daughter keeps clucking like she heard the Mama hen do when the eggs where peeping and she was sitting on them. She said it's still alive if we can hear it! ANY advice would be so appreciated... being that we have no idea what we are doing!
I have posted one other time. I had a mama go broody, and she had several eggs added to her clutch on different dates (when she got off the nest to stretch-poo- and eat and drink) When I finally researched and found out I needed to separate her- there were already several eggs that I had no idea what day they had been added. I am happy to report that after moving her and not really knowing if any would hatch, that Tues and Wed a total of 4 healthy chicks have hatched and are thriving with Mama. Of the original 10 eggs this left 6. One piped and never hatched we could see its beak.Mama sat till Thurs am and then took her 4 (ADORABLE) chicks and started teaching them to eat and dust bath and all the cute things a chick does. A few times she got in the barrel we used for her nesting area, and tried to shove the eggs out. My daughter and I removed the piped but dead chick and buried it. Then we thought to candle the other 5, and they are all really close to hatching according to websites with candling pics. SO we brought them inside and put them in a milk crate with pine shavings (moist) and a heat lamp.(in our master bathtub :-0) Since we did this one has piped and we can hear peeping. The one that piped did so around 4 pm today and hasn't gotten any further. I'm guessing it needs more humidity? I have run the shower for several minutes and gotten the bathroom steamy a few times this evening and I put an umbrella over the milk crate to try and retain some of the moisture. Any other ideas of what I can do???? We have 3 little girls who begged me to "try and save the chicks" My 9 year wanted to sleep in the bathroom with them My daughter keeps clucking like she heard the Mama hen do when the eggs where peeping and she was sitting on them. She said it's still alive if we can hear it! ANY advice would be so appreciated... being that we have no idea what we are doing!
