First time TSC chicks and Broody Mama!

[CloneFly]

Bit the bullet and finally bought some chicks from TSC. I've heard mixed opinions on the sexing for TSC chicks, so I'm a little nervous! These little guys are for my extremely broody Delaware, 'Helen'. This is also our first time letting a broody raise chicks, so a bit nervous about that as well

Anyway, here's the damage:

- 2 golden sexlinks
- 1 buff orpington
- 1 bantam (any ideas on the breed?)

Here's to hoping they're all pullets and that mama 'Helen' takes them

PS. almost came home with another duck

 

[Debbie292d]

They are gorgeous! I hope Helen agrees!!

 

[CloneFly]

They are gorgeous! I hope Helen agrees!!

Thank you!

 

[CloneFly]

By chance, would anyone know what breed this little one might be? The closest thing I could find were old English gamebirds, but the chicks were darker than this

 

[CloneFly]

So far it's a success! I've been checking up on them every half hour or so and mama 'Helen' seems to have adopted the babies, and the babies are loving her fluffy feathers

 

[LTAY1946]

I hope I have a Delaware hen or two broody in the next day or two that will take on the job of brooding some of the new hatchlings next weekend.

 

[p4PaDuck]

I have found using google lens could narrow it down. Also go to Hoovers hatchery and look at bantams, and find a chick that look like yours. PS in case you didn’t know Hoovers supplies TSC chicks. It also helped me find out that my ducklings are anconas not magpies.

 

[CloneFly]

I have found using google lens could narrow it down. Also go to Hoovers hatchery and look at bantams, and find a chick that look like yours. PS in case you didn’t know Hoovers supplies TSC chicks. It also helped me find out that my ducklings are anconas not magpies.

I did actually! Again, closest I got was an old English game bird lol, but they all looked much darker than the one I have. Thank you for the suggestion though!

 

[p4PaDuck]

Oh okay. No problem though!

 

[CloneFly]

Learned a bit of a sad lesson today- after sticking the initial chicks under a broody, you can't add anymore later on...

We swung by a feed store yesterday and impulsively bought a single olive egger chick- those green eggs had been calling for a while now. The chicks were about a week old and the chick we brought home was lively with a slight case of pasty butt... I stuck her under our broody and at first she pecked a little, but I took the chick out and tried again after a few minutes and she sat on the baby all night long. (I even checked in at 1am and the new baby was doing just fine.) I went out to the coop this morning around 10am, and found the little one dead. It doesn't look like my hen pecked her, so I'm not sure what she may have died of... the other chicks were standing close to the body (they're all fine). The deceased little one did have poop stuck to its vent again and some hay in its mouth- possibly choked? I don't know. I feel absolutely terrible... she was such a sweet little chick and I was ready to raise her by hand if my broody rejected her. I called the feed store and they 24hr live chick policy, but I don't think it'd be right to try again