Jayden Owens
In the Brooder
- Feb 26, 2022
- 17
- 7
- 46
I've had chickens for the past 7 years, 3 americauna in 2018 and then 4 silkies last year in 2022. (First chicken to pass was one of the americuanas from ascites at 6 years old, we relocated one of our silkies cause 3 out 4 turned out to be roosters, and just last week I lost my precious favorite boy silky to drowning)
Our only silky girl is currently sitting on 5 fertilized eggs, layed between Sept 3rd and Sept 8th and this is our first time hatching our own chicks, the others were bought as chicks from stores.
I am currently nervous about hatching chicks for the first time and want to know everything I need to make sure I do everything right. I want to know what I should look out for and what protocols I should do in case something is wrong? What do I need to do to make sure the chicks hatch as safe? I have been checking them each night after dark and they are developing well. All we have is our one girl to ensure the eggs hatch and I am doing everything to make sure she is okay and happy while she hatches them (she had food and water within reach of her nest and we have a camera in the coop and I go out and see her multiple times a day)
I'm mainly scared about all the sad things I hear that could happen to little chicks, including sudden unexplained death. I got my first 3 chickens from my high school science teacher that would bring in chick eggs and incubate in the class and auction them off some time after they catch. One incident during some of the chicks hatching was a birth defect where all its internal organs developed outside of its body and had to be mercy killed (which I did not stay to see).
I just really want to be as educated as possible and possibly reassured of some of the things im scared about just in case Im letting fear control my thoughts. I am not doing okay after losing my baby boy and I want to prevent anymore loss.
(The picture is unrelated, I just wanted to show an image of my sweet boy..)
Our only silky girl is currently sitting on 5 fertilized eggs, layed between Sept 3rd and Sept 8th and this is our first time hatching our own chicks, the others were bought as chicks from stores.
I am currently nervous about hatching chicks for the first time and want to know everything I need to make sure I do everything right. I want to know what I should look out for and what protocols I should do in case something is wrong? What do I need to do to make sure the chicks hatch as safe? I have been checking them each night after dark and they are developing well. All we have is our one girl to ensure the eggs hatch and I am doing everything to make sure she is okay and happy while she hatches them (she had food and water within reach of her nest and we have a camera in the coop and I go out and see her multiple times a day)
I'm mainly scared about all the sad things I hear that could happen to little chicks, including sudden unexplained death. I got my first 3 chickens from my high school science teacher that would bring in chick eggs and incubate in the class and auction them off some time after they catch. One incident during some of the chicks hatching was a birth defect where all its internal organs developed outside of its body and had to be mercy killed (which I did not stay to see).
I just really want to be as educated as possible and possibly reassured of some of the things im scared about just in case Im letting fear control my thoughts. I am not doing okay after losing my baby boy and I want to prevent anymore loss.
(The picture is unrelated, I just wanted to show an image of my sweet boy..)