Ever had a winter broody?

[Varglet]

Adria's four babies are doing well. One of Gabrielle's disappeared without a trace. And Gabrielle abandoned her last three eggs. One was dead when I found them abandoned, the other two were stone cold, but I put them under Evelyn anyway, since she decided to try and hatch rock eggs and golf balls. Turns out those two were still alive, but the morning after one had pipped, I found it dead. She got off of the eggs too often. The other egg had pipped and was still alive, so I took it inside (my incubator is home made and hasn't been running in weeks, since I finished hatching myself) and made a makeshift, temporary incubator and hatched it. I made it out of a hot compress, plastic tupperware containers, and some wet rags. Have to wait a little while before putting the little one in with the big chicks in my bedroom. This baby can't go outside with the others because it doesn't know to go under the Silkies for warmth and such.

I don't have an updated pic of the babies, but the first pic is Gabrielle and her two (before the one disappeared). The rest of the pics are the last one that I had to take inside to hatch.

 

[Varglet]

It's a bit blurry, because my phone takes horrible pics, but here is an updated pic of the babies outside and their "mommas" (the Silkies share the babies). The black one is a Silkie mix, the tiny one is a d'Uccle mix, and the other three are Delaware mixes (the white one is male, the other two females). They ran out of water last night, which is why they're all crowded around it. The other adults drink from the dish outside the coop.

 

[Jharper]

Look who's sitting on 7 eggs!!!

 

[3dogcp]

My Silkie hatched 2 Dominique/Silkie eggs 6 weeks ago. They are outside in a coop with a heat lamp. The temps were down a low as -15 at night and I was really worried about them, but they made it.

 

[texgardengal]

Beautiful chicks 3dog!!!! I had 2 hatch out about 4 weeks ago. The momma hen stopped playing mom at about the same time out temps dropped down in the teens and the little chicks didn't make it on the roost. Even with the heat lamp I lost one. I took the other inside and had a house chicken until the temps came back up...now back in the coop the little is doing ok but is a little lonely. I love your the mix of silkie/Dominique.....so pretty

 

[texgardengal]

O wow. Anira. I just read your post. Way to go saving the baby. Such cut chicks. I'm new to raising chicks....how long before the baby can go out...the one who wasn't broody raised? Do you have to wait I til it feathers out??

 

[3dogcp]

Sorry for your loss. The Silkie /Dominique was a surprise. The Silkie Rooster chases all my big chickens, but I didn't think he could do that. I saw the Dominique laying eggs in the Silkie nest. She had one of her own eggs but it didn't hatch. I opened it and was a perfect little chick inside. I noticed the shell was very hard and thick. I'm new to this and don't know why it didn't hatch. She was a good Mom to her step chicks. One is a Roo and is almost as big as she is already,lol

 

[Varglet]

O wow. Anira. I just read your post. Way to go saving the baby. Such cut chicks. I'm new to raising chicks....how long before the baby can go out...the one who wasn't broody raised? Do you have to wait I til it feathers out??

Yes, you have to wait until the chicks are completely feathered out before moving them outside, especially this time of year. But this one won't be moved outside. It'll go in with the ones I have in my bedroom. I don't have another coop or run outside for the other chicks, and they can't be put in with my other chickens because the adults would more than likely kill them (though they'd have a hell of a time, since there are 31 babies). And I don't have the pen completely chicken wired, just the 2 x 4 welded wire fence, so they could easily get out. I also don't plan on keeping them much longer. There are several people out here that want some chicks, and they don't mind getting males.

I might try to introduce them to my flock temporarily, after I get the chicken wire up, but the run and coop aren't currently set up for it. I may work on that this next week.

 

[mindylee]

Last yr at xmas time I hatched out 44 chicks by broody cochins in coop. By spring I set another 109 and hatched 93 out and it was super cold out.

Last week 22 cochins went broody (no eggs set) and this morning I had 17 broodies. They get sooooo mad I snatch up their eggs as they want to sit but im not ready for babies so they sit on nothing. Lol

 

[Jharper]

My Silkie hatched 2 Dominique/Silkie eggs 6 weeks ago. They are outside in a coop with a heat lamp. The temps were down a low as -15 at night and I was really worried about them, but they made it.

You should cross the last one back to a black or white silkie I think to see if you can keep the barred coloring!!!