First time Broody BO Sitting on Nest of 14 Eggs - 1 Week to go!

[GitaBooks]

Pip in her crate with her four chicks


Princess in the basement during a winter hatch. The floor had a sheet on it but the corner has hay/straw as a nest.


Sandy in her crate. She would rest in the far corner. Cardboard around the back made her feel safe and stopped the wind from blowing into the crate.

 

[BoiseChik]

Well, that's great news about your new chick, sorry about the others. Something else I've been wondering is how will I know when an egg is bad, or dead? Do you just throw them away after a certain point? And when do you start hearing the 'pipping'?

 

[GitaBooks]

Peeping starts around day 19 or day 20. The chicks talk to one another and to their mother, learning each others voices and getting encouragement.

What we did with our bad eggs was wait until a day and a half after the hatch and then remove the eggs. We then very carefully use a needle to open up a small hole. If the chick were alive this would help it get out easier, and if it is dead you can be sure. Other people use candling, but I found this to be very hard and not a sure method. You want to give the eggs time to hatch on their own, but if you pick up an egg and peep to it and there is no response, the chick is likely dead.

I'd love to see some pics of the new babies when they hatch!

 

[KayTee]

Any box or crate is ok - it just provides a safe, enclosed space for the hen and her chicks. I use cardboard boxes because I have a ready supply of them and I just throw them away when they get too dirty, but lots of people use plastic boxes which are easy to clean out and tend not to harbour mites etc.

'Mash' is any chicken feed (pellets or crumbles) that is mixed with water. My girls prefer mash over the dry food, although I always provide a bowl of dry food available 24/7 for them. It gets pecked at occasionally, whereas the mash disappears within an hour or two of me putting it out. Don't make too much mash at a time, as it goes off quickly. Some people throw away mash over 2 hours old, but I will leave a bowl out all day, then throw any remaining stuff away in the evening and start again the following day (and none of my girls have ever suffered for it!)

After the first egg hatches, the rest should follow within around 24 hours, and you should hear peeping a day or so before each egg hatches. If I have any that I think aren't peeping when most of the others have hatched, I water candle them. This means putting them in a jug of water at the same temperature as the egg - around 37 - 38°c (hotter or colder and you can shock the egg and kill the chick). Leave it alone for a minute or two, and watch if it moves. If you see a definite 'bob' then the chick is moving inside, and may need help to get out, as GitaBooks describes.

I am getting really excited for you - the countdown begins! Good luck.

 

[BoiseChik]

Hello Again, this evening is the 18th full day the hen has been sitting on the eggs.
But so here's the reason I'm writing again... ;-] I tried the water candling tonight. I floated all 14 eggs in the water and after they had become completely still I saw definite bobbing and bouncing (slight but definite) with two of the eggs. All 14 eggs floated, except one that sank right to the bottom. I was so glad to see the two that bounced, but bummed that the rest didn't move. Is it accurate to rely on water candling at this point? What about the one that sank, does that mean it's dead?
I also listened carefully for any peeping sounds and couldn't make anything out.
And by the way, I have so appreciated both of you ladies! I just want to take you both out to coffee to thank you....too bad we can't actually do that! :-]

 

[GitaBooks]

I wouldn't give up on them yet. However, I can't be sure, as I don't tend to candle my eggs.

They might not peep until day 19 or 20. I would expect them to hatch completely in 4 days.


Is there a such thing as an on-line coffee shop? LOL

, its awesome chatting with you both.

 

[KayTee]

Don't worry about the lack of bobbing. I only water candle after the peeping has started - peeping = ready to hatch = movement. I have never had an egg that sank, and I have water candled live, half formed and infertile eggs, so I don't know what that would signify - maybe lack of an air sac, or an extremely heavy chick??? I really have no idea, but I would be interested to know what happens to that egg.

Only a few more days to go. Try to be a bit hands off now - it's getting to the most delicate stage. Let your broody hen's instinct take her through the hatch, and don't be tempted to 'help out' until you can see at least a couple of chicks hatched and peeping out from under her. If you really don't have many viable eggs (and I would be surprised if only 2 are viable, but let's take a worst-case scenario) then leave at least those few to hatch before you try to help out any others - only those who have real trouble hatching should need any help.

Can't wait for the pictures - I shall be here with my cup of coffee

- we can have a long-distance, virtual coffee morning! (Or coffee afternoon, depending upon our time zones

)

 

[BoiseChik]

It's day 20 and an egg is hatching! One of the two eggs that moved during the water candling has a Tiny hole and you can see a beak moving. Also there is a soft peeping sound. Very sweet and exciting! Pictures to follow. And don't worry, I'm being hands off.

 

[BoiseChik]

First Chick

 

[GitaBooks]

First Chick

So cute!