February 2017 Hatch-a-long

[WVduckchick]

@dawn secord

I'm a bit lost. How many chicks are there total, and are any still incubating?

Some silkies make the best mothers, others are dumb as a box of rocks, so it really depends on your girls, I think. I would try to keep them on the same level with the box for several days at least, until the little ones get around really well. Mommas usually go with the majority, so if one gets left out, it's not unusual for mom to leave it. She'll likely try her darndest, but it depends on the chick to do the rest. Jmho.

 

[dawn secord]

Hi WV

There are three chicks that just hatched under the hen - 48 hours ago give or take. There are two eggs at my girlfriend's house in the incubator. One just hatched. Can't tell if the other is pipping yet.

If I lock the mom in the nesting box area, then the others can't get in there at night and it is too cold to leave them outside in the run. I think we can move the black one to my girlfriend's house. She really likes the darker ones best. She can put it with the two that are just hatching. That will leave 2 chicks with the hen.

Or should we leave one chick with the hen? That way she will stay with the chick where ever it is. Or is it better to have two chicks together rather than a since chick?

Thanks

 

[Jessimom]

99% of my hatching has been done in the incubator. I don't have roosters, so I buy all my fertile eggs. I had a hen that went broody about week into a set of eggs I was hatching. I let her sit on infertile eggs for a few weeks, then swapped them for the just hatched chicks. I gave her 3. I had put wire mesh around the base of the nesting box. The nesting boxes are on a shelf, and it made an easy area underneath to keep them safe from the rest of the flock, but still be integrated. When the chicks first start wandering around they never separated from each other. You never saw one chick - they went as a group and mom followed. After a few weeks I started letting them out into the flock for a few hours each day. By that time they were totally independent of mom, but still traveled together most of the time.

My silkies go broody all the time. I gave them some eggs to hatch. Two broodies, 7 eggs. The silkies are in a different pen. I just fenced off the back of their coop. The two birds shared one box, and when one got up to eat or drink, the other stole her eggs. When the second got up to eat or drink, the first stole her nest. They went back and forth for 3 weeks. When the chicks stared hatching, 1st mom stayed on the eggs, second mom went with the chicks. It was the BEST co parenting I had ever seen.

But in both cases, I had the broody mom and babies on ground level.

I love watching the chicks hatch - so that's why I hatch in the incubator. But, if I have a broody hen outside, I'm more than willing to give her the chicks. Definitely makes it easier!!

Right now, no broody hens. I hatched 19 chicks last week, and my final count for this last hatch is 21 out of 28 that made it to lock down. I had one that had zipped along the bottom of the shell, and I think drowned. The other 6 were fully developed, but they didn't pip. I'm not interested in eggtopsying them. They were all shipped eggs and had some REALLY funky air cells. I have to think that played a part in it. Overall I think this was a completely successful hatch.

I have 18 more local eggs due next week. I have WAY, way too many chicks in my bathroom!!!

 

[dawn secord]

WOW - how cool. Thanks for the reply. I think I am going to go in right now and try to separate the nesting box - keep babies on one side and others on the other.

THanks!

 

[Jessimom]

WOW - how cool. Thanks for the reply. I think I am going to go in right now and try to separate the nesting box - keep babies on one side and others on the other.

THanks!

Make sure you make the enclose chick escape proof, they can squeeze through the tiniest opening and mom can't get out to save them.

 

[dawn secord]

okay - thank you!

 

[MontainBourbons]

Got A little bit of a miracle chick here. This chick pipped on day 23 and could get out alone. I ended up helping him out but sadly he started bleeding. Personally I thought that he was going to be dead within an hour. But now he is in the brooder with his other 2 buddies. Still looking a little weak but definitely getting better. He is the one in front. I never saw one that bad survive.

 

[dawn secord]

YEAH! I had a tough situation once too. Named the chick "Miracle". She (hoping she is a she) is now 5 months old.

 

[Cerise1924]

Day 17, and I started early lockdown for my one little Sebright egg, all alone in the incubator. Everything was looking good yesterday, so I am hoping I can get a healthy chick this week.

While I'm waiting, here are my January hatch babies, just for fun (Dark Brahmas). Turns out they are 100% pullets!

 

[Jessimom]

Congrats little guy, hang in there!!

Sadly 2 of my frizzled silkies have splayed legs. One is hobbled and doing great, the second seems to have had a stroke or something. There is more wrong with it than just it's legs. It's hobbled like the first, but still stretches it's legs straight out the back. It also has it's had permanently turned to the left. We can't seem to get it to look to the right. It's left wing is flapping, it's right is not. It's just not looking healthy. But I can't cull. I put it in a corner and keep going in and putting it near the water and food for a bit. Then back to the corner. I"m hoping it gets better, but I figure it will be gone by morning....