Hatching pullet eggs and result question - UPDATE We have 2 chicks!

[sparrker]

Congratulations

 

[bobbieschicks]

One of Bandit's eggs hatched - the other has a pip but no one has come out and the inner membrane doesn't appear broken. Should I try to help or leave it alone?

 

[bobbieschicks]

The 2nd egg has a bigger pip now and it's broken through the membrane - so I'll hold off helping for now. The humidity is still high enough and it hasn't been 24 hours yet.

 

[LilyD]

Congratulations I am keeping my fingers crossed for pullets for you!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Well her second egg hatched and we now have 2 pullets (hopefully) - they are drying out in the incubator for now. I've got to set up the brooder - never thought any of the eggs would actually hatch so I didn't set it up yet.

Here are our two newest editions. I was contemplating slipping them under my newly broody hen (she's only been sitting on her eggs for 4 days) and then take away her eggs and see if she'd think these were her babies - but maybe that wouldn't work and she'd hurt them somehow and I'd be upset that I killed Bandit's only offspring.

 

[bobbieschicks]

The Daddy - White Leghorn "Foghorn"


The Mommy - EE? (laid blue shelled/green eggs) "Bandit" - RIP she died of unknown causes on Jan 14 2012, that's her in the left nest box.


Her eggs were more blue then green - but this photo doesn't show that because of the flash and green container.

 

[bobbieschicks]

It's been a week - so here are updated pics of the babies who are so cute and small still. But man are they fast! They are getting their wings feathers and little puffs of tail feathers.
They both look more like their daddy then their mom. Although Spots has some interesting markings on her/him. My son has proclaimed them both to be roosters.

Here are the babies: Sunny on the left (pullet?) and Spot on the right (rooster?)


Here was their mom at 7 days old. And their dad at 7 days old - he's the brute on the right.

.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Here are Sunny and Spot at 3 weeks old in their newly cleaned brooder. They already soiled the top of the feeder LOL! I do believe Sunny is a pullet and Spot is a rooster - time will tell.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I had moved Sunny & Spots to the chick side of the coop a few days ago. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce them to the bigger flock yesterday so I moved them over to the big coop last night after dark. Then I worried about them all morning. So when the sun was about to come up I went back out there to check on them. They were cowering in the corner and getting way too much interest for being such little ones. So I grabbed them back up and moved them back to the chick side. It was also pretty cold today - only 34F - and they are just 5 weeks old today. So I put the lamp on them on low - hopefully it will keep the chill off them. They seemed happier to be in their coop area again.

I will leave them there a little while longer as they grow - I want them to be about double the size they are now before I try that again.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

I usually keep the youngsters in sight and then combine groups at 10 weeks, but there are many ways to have success.

I just read your little saga and enjoyed it immensely. I am so sorry that you lost your pullet unexpectedly, but I am glad that you took the chance and hatched her eggs.