Hatching twins

[Loveasilkie]

First I'll introduce "Blue" rooster of the flock. A blue silky

 

[Loveasilkie]

I had a broody black silkie Magic, one year old, I couldn't break the broody, last hope was to give her eggs to hatch. I had no clue what to do or expect. I gave her eggs from my bantam flock of Easter egger, olive egger, frizzle and silkies. The first egg hatched just like you all wrote. Beautiful white silkie, a day later two more hatched, ok pat myself on the back all going well. Until next morning one of the two new ones were dead, looked smothered. I set up a brooder in the kitchen and brought remaining chicks in. All is well, as others hatched some made it others not, 3 doa,5 chicks in brooder, 4 eggs left. A week after the first hatch, my last white splash Easter egger bantam egg hatched twins, I found them together wet and tiny at 9 pm, grabbed them up and placed in brooder. One Grey, one white, called them yin & yang. Mom magic is a trooper with a strong peck. The next morning all 7 chicks fluffy warm and happy. 3 eggs left, after candling found all them to be doa in shell. I'll follow with photos and what I learned and will keep updating post as the twins grow.

 

[Loveasilkie]

I am owned by 7 bossy girls and 1 very silly rooster, we have been together for a year this month. What I learned is, don't keep giving eggs to the broody mom, it causes a looong staggered hatch. Also 13 eggs is way to many for a silkie to hatch, she gave it her all as we fumbled through this together with the help found BYC. The loss of chicks was heart breaking.

 

[Loveasilkie]

The twins were hatched in 3 hrs from pip to finding them. So mom broody did whatever was necessary to get them hatched. When I brought them in they each got a drop of poultry Nutri-Drench.

 

[Loveasilkie]

Yin is smallest of the two at 3 days old and is very sickly. I continue to give her a drop of nutri-drench daily, yang stays with her at all times. You can barely see then here.

 

[Loveasilkie]

During the week of pulling chicks to brooder, I brought mom Magic in daily to be with them for about 10 minutes. I was hoping to keep their bonding strong. During this time we also taught chicks to eat and drink.

 

[Loveasilkie]

The twins are 8 days old in this photo. Yin is struggling with goopy swollen eyes, treating with terramycian optical ointment twice a day, today there is finally a marked improvement. As you can see they are free ranging with Magic always returning to collect when they get left behind.

 

[Azhtann]

This is such a precious story! I hope the little twins make it okay.