Failed incubation? Pic of day 15 UPDATE: ONE lives, I think!

[MrsBachbach]

You don't wan't to know. Actually.. I might as well say it.. could help someone else. Yes, it hatched. I spent the whole evening holding the little baby underneath a wool pijama, he was sleeping.. so cute. I kissed it about 50 million times. And then.. put it in the incubator for the night.. And then... my cat ate it. Gee... I didn't think it would be strong enough to open the 'bator. It is true that it is almost all made of styrofoam, plus the motors and cabling.. The 'bator was on top of the dog kennel, so the cat had to jump on it, walk on the tiny little metal bars, reach the bator and open it while standing on a 2 mm metal bar. Ninja cat, I guess. I was so so so sad when I saw that the next morning. I've learned a valuable lesson. I am starting a new incubation tomorrow, so they hatch on a friday and I have all weekend with them. The incubator will be in a CLOSED ferret cage, in my CLOSE bathroom. I felt REALLY stupid. He was the cute little thing:

Aww...so sorry to hear that. Single chicks usually don't do too well anyway. They get very lonely and chirp alot. Chickens are social animals, need other chickens. I have a very nosy cat too. She always hugs the incubators and has even displaced the lid once. I was so worried I had lost the hatch with the lid being cracked. I learned to tape the lids down after that so there wouldn't be any accidents. She just knows incubators mean chicks and I can't hardly keep her away from the incubators. She will even sleep in the room with the dang eggs! Just waiting. One day I accidently left the brooder lid open and went back in the room to find her in the brooder with the chicks! She was in one corner just watching and all the chicks were in the other corner looking at her. She's too dang fat to even think of eating a chick. Found her in my parrot cage once too. Her in the cage and the parrot on top of the cage. She is an unusual one.

 

[Sabz]

Oh lucky you That must have been panicking and then, when you noticed there was no deaths - really cute! My old cat was like that. She was 19. Since I was young I had turtles, mice, hamsters, fish, chicks, parrots.. and she never ever touched one. She was able to make the difference between my pets and the "wild" mice. She ate the mice that were in our walls, she chased birds outside and gave them to me as "gifts" but never touched my animals.

I had her and a parrot for 10 years together. The parrot was never caged! I have no idea what triggered her to understand that some animals were mine and some were not - and those ones she could chase.

PS: don't worry, I don't think this chick would have felt sad or alone (or I hope at least). I can bring animals at work if they are calm. I brought a little rooster from my last batch (he wasn't alone though, they were 20) in the office a few times, until he was about 6 weeks old LOL. He chirped a bit, but not so bad. He even came to climb a mountain with us And my dog is a devoted mommy dog. When I have chicks, I put them in a cage in my bathroom since that room has more ventilation and is easier to keep warm. Well, my dog begs to get in the bathroom. If I open the door she will sit and watch the babies. If I watch a movie I bring a few babies to the dog and she'll cuddle with them. She sleeps in front of the chicks cage.



When I have chicks, I don't have a dog anymore. If you're looking for her, find a chick and she's there!

Here is the chick at the office!





Her she is, taking care of a chick that had a leg injury. She did not move from the bathroom until the chicken could walk (2 or 3 days)!

And her she is watching over the 20 babies outside:

 

[Aphrael]

Oh lucky you That must have been panicking and then, when you noticed there was no deaths - really cute! My old cat was like that. She was 19. Since I was young I had turtles, mice, hamsters, fish, chicks, parrots.. and she never ever touched one. She was able to make the difference between my pets and the "wild" mice. She ate the mice that were in our walls, she chased birds outside and gave them to me as "gifts" but never touched my animals.

I had her and a parrot for 10 years together. The parrot was never caged! I have no idea what triggered her to understand that some animals were mine and some were not - and those ones she could chase.

PS: don't worry, I don't think this chick would have felt sad or alone (or I hope at least). I can bring animals at work if they are calm. I brought a little rooster from my last batch (he wasn't alone though, they were 20) in the office a few times, until he was about 6 weeks old LOL. He chirped a bit, but not so bad. He even came to climb a mountain with us And my dog is a devoted mommy dog. When I have chicks, I put them in a cage in my bathroom since that room has more ventilation and is easier to keep warm. Well, my dog begs to get in the bathroom. If I open the door she will sit and watch the babies. If I watch a movie I bring a few babies to the dog and she'll cuddle with them. She sleeps in front of the chicks cage.



When I have chicks, I don't have a dog anymore. If you're looking for her, find a chick and she's there!

Here is the chick at the office!





Her she is, taking care of a chick that had a leg injury. She did not move from the bathroom until the chicken could walk (2 or 3 days)!

And her she is watching over the 20 babies outside:

Awwww.

That is so sweet. One of my chihuahuas is like that. She wants to get in the brooder and lay with the babies all the time. And she gets terribly upset if you pick up a chick and it squalls. She got her feelings hurt so bad this summer. I had a broody hen raising ducklings and she went over to say hi and mama got after her. It upset her so much I felt really bad for her, poor baby.