Hatching log of a broody satin

[yakitori]

Day 12!

Getting harder and harder to take photos as the embryo fills up the space ;_;
It's times like this that I wish I had a better camera...

Eggs 3 and 4, the ones that were left out previously, are both still active

9 days left! (hopefully)

 

[yakitori]

I checked Paint thoroughly, and she does indeed seem to have a small infestation of fluff louse, mostly in her wing fluff. I pulled back her feathers and misted her lightly. this time with an addition of a bit of peppermint oil. I'm reading that it's the species of least irritation to poultry, so that's good news at least. If my memory (and eyesight) serves me right, it looked a little different from the one I saw yesterday in her crest. However, since she's now sitting with her butt to the opening of the nest, I'll have to check her again when after her meal this evening when I can switch her around.

The nesting box is now next to my work station so I can keep an eye on her, and it turns out that she's quite the curios broody!




Oh look, room service

 

[yakitori]

Day 13

I find myself having to continually find new ways to get nutrition into this bird...Today’s menu is pressure cooked grains mixed with home milled rice and 30% game bird starter. She ate well...hopefully she won’t change her mind tomorrow since there’s a lot left.



I think we’ve established a new routine. When’s she’s ready to go back after her outing, she will start to look around anxiously. That’s my cue to crouch and let her jump on my arm and transport her back to her nest.

so...How did the chicken cross the road? She made her human slave chauffeur her over.

Well, today she wanted to return a lot earlier than usual. since I hadn’t done the daily candling yet, I put her down and took the nesting box out to candle the eggs.

Poor momma walked into her usual cage to find it quite empty and anxiously paced around wondering where her eggs went. I told her that I’d give them back her right away, but i don’t think she understood me. Eventually she resigned to sitting on the cage floor as if expecting her eggs to materialize magically. Of course, when she wanted to tuck the eggs in, there were none under her, and so she shuffled around in a circle trying to find them.

I felt so bad, but at the same time, it was awfully cute to watch.



I candled as fast as I could, then set the box on the ground, intending to move Paint out of the cage so I can get the box in. But before I could do so, she caught glimpse of her precious eggs and LEPT from the cage onto the nest.

Good thing she’s quite light, because her landing was quite rough and I’m not a fan of balut...



In the end, all is well, and we have survived yet another day

 

[yakitori]

Day 14:

I lopped Paint’s crest and beard. She looks like a totally different chicken, lol.




She didn’t eat much, so I’m a little concerned Will try to make her some kind of liquid food tomorrow on top of the regular food, and see if I can get her to eat more.

here’s a video of her ready to go back to her nest.

https://youtube.com/shorts/7YlMcy0ts04?feature=share

One week left...
I candled and took photos of *all* the eggs today!
I saw a little chicken leg kick in one of the eggs, but it was too dark to film

 

[yakitori]

Day 15 (I forgot to check which egg this was...)

I found a way to "film" the eggs by taking consecutive photos then stitching them together in a computer program. it's a bit choppy, but quite a bit clearer than when using video mode.

and and and
I couldn't make out what I was looking at when I filmed it, but....
IS THAt THE BEAK?

 

[yakitori]

Day 16

One of the eggs is a size bigger than the others, I wonder if it’ll hatch a larger chick, or if the chick will have an easier time zipping as there due to the extra space


showcasing Egg number 2 in today candling..

the embryo hasn’t filled this one as much as the others, I wonder if it’ll be a late hatch.

 

[Crazy Duck Lover]

Wow! So much movement! So exciting

 

[yakitori]

Wow! So much movement! So exciting

It's been an amazing educational journey about the creation of life

 

[NorthernMIFlock]

Following her journey! She is going to be a great momma! I’m so jealous you have a sweet hen that lets you candle. I tried yesterday with my broody Sunny, on day 10, couldn’t see much of anything . It’s tough to wait, you would think it gets easier since this is her 3rd clutch but NOPE!

 

[yakitori]

Following her journey! She is going to be a great momma! I’m so jealous you have a sweet hen that lets you candle. I tried yesterday with my broody Sunny, on day 10, couldn’t see much of anything . It’s tough to wait, you would think it gets easier since this is her 3rd clutch but NOPE!

yay, 11 more days to go! Does Sunny peck you? a few of my lf hens will peck me when they’re laying eggs, the others will just look a bit bewildered at being disturbed, lol.

and...did you try candling when Sunny gets off the nest for her break? That’s usually when I candle, since taking eggs out from under Paint makes me nervous that I would accidentally break one.