Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

Teila good luck with your new girl good job with Tommy and hugs to you for any sadness remaining in your heart.

IC great Pics!

Marie do you think that maybe that shell was crushed before the chick was ready? What day are you on? And yes, if an egg is cracked bacteria can easily get in and infect then kill the chick. So sorry.

MM where do you get your saddles. Blanche's fell off while I was away and I need to replace it plus get more. My EE is also pretty rough

Everyone!

 

[randerson846]

Wh

Hi Teila! Lol, yes I think the only chance I have of non-blurry pictures is if I catch them while they are asleep and not under mom... yeah, so practically no chance at all! I did manage a few slightly less blurry ones though - caught them preening/soaking in the sun, I will post them. I swear their wing feathers grew overnight - there weren't any yesterday! I can't blame the lady, to be honest with you - how can anyone not oooh and aaah over Blondie? But yeah "step away from MY chicken!" would have been my reaction, too! Knowing you have all girls and being able to sleep in, plus knowing Tommy is in good hands - it really does sound like you couldn't have found a better match if you tried! - all positive factors, I think... though I know you and Cilla and Blondie will all miss him, but it gets easier with time. And once you find Lulu, whoever she turns out to be, there will five girls! And hopefully some eggs, too. Here are some not-as-blurry pics:

What breed are they

 

[tommysgirl]

Chick chicks I've got CHICKS!!!!!!! Petunia has at least two babies out of the shell...I saw them they are dry and fluffy and on their feet. I closed the coop (3/5 elevated hen house) to give her and the chicks some privacy. Jamie Lee is still hunkered down on her golf balls right next to here but seems unconcerned with what is happening in the nest next door. Once the other eggs hatch I am going to move her and them into a dog crate and keep them in the same pen they are in. I am pretty sure she will be a good protector but I am kind of nervous about Jamie Lee possibly stealing the chicks.

 

[randerson846]

How many is she sitting on? And did u notice anymore pips

 

[Teila]

Yawn, stretch, mmmm … slept in until 06:30am!
Yep, that is a sleep in for me, during the working week I am up at 04:45am.

So I read all the posts that happened while I slept and I have to say, yet again, you gals rock! I checked Hotmail, quick glance at Facebook and a quick read of other threads I lurk in .. yeah, yeah, yaaada, yaaada then I opened up Team Broody; within seconds I was smiling and chuckling

Thanks again everyone for your kind words and support regarding Tommy. I am positive I did the right thing; just can’t help wondering if he is OK. I was a little sad last night picturing the poor little guy having to go to sleep in strange surroundings without Cilla and Blondie but I also pictured his new mum and dad keeping him company and making sure he settled OK. I have no concerns that he has not gone to a wonderful home. I am looking forward to the pictures of him when he has matured into a beautiful little man.

Thanks also for being Blondie fans

Tee hee IC, eggs? Of what do you speak? I have a vague recollection.
Your bubbies are beautiful! Those little fluffy munchkins could make anyone fall in love with them.

It is funny how they can change appearance overnight. I also got a bit of a shock when I came home from work on occasions and I could swear they had increased their size by 25% in 7 or 8 hours.

Hey there MM, good to read that things are going smoothly at Ol’ Sycamore Springs; besides Willie’s man-therapy requirements. Thursday must seem like a lifetime away; very exciting though. Can't wait for the pictures. Wooo hooo, Spring is back! Heading into winter here, well if you can call an Australian Winter, winter, it really does not compare to your winters. I did take the sweat pants (tracky dacks in Oz) out of moth balls and don them this morning as opposed to the normal shorts; it was a little chilly out there

16 paws, gees that is not good news; still got everything crossed for you that she is keeping some beautiful little fuzzy butts hidden from you

How right you are, Chicken TV is the best! It is a good job they go to sleep at night or I would never get anything done!
Seriously chuckling at “I still marvel at the miracle of an ordinary cooking ingredient becoming a beautiful little fluffy baby in 21 days.!!!” I have never really thought of it like that, but you are so right.

LM, sorry, I may have missed a post; how did the remainder of your hatch go? How many Sara's?

TG, I so love your description of Norma!
Ooooh, how exciting, more Team Broody bubbies. I will never get blaise when it comes to mother hens chatting to their eggs and the total dedication they have to their bubbies; they are such beautiful moments. Everyone else agree that you can see the love and happiness in mumma’s eyes?
I am most definitely going to check back later for an update!

Hhhhm, TG, scratch the above and replace with "Woot woot"

I just read your new post ... Congratulations!!! How wonderful!

Bring on the bubby pictures ... Team Broody rocks!

 

[Lesa Mae]

Still at 3 Sara's sadly the 4th didn't make it . Still have 3 eggs and wondering if they were possibly laid several days later by one of he other girls who had gone broody together , now I'm questioning whether I should give the remaining eggs back to he other broodies I'm afraid Veronica is going to abandon the last 3 Phit & Freda still sitting on the wooden eggs ????? I'm so stressed and don't want to keep screwing with these poor ladies what do I do ?????

 

[randerson846]

I would let nature take it course and give them back to the broody's if they're gonna hatch they've got a better chance with a broody than an incubator (in my opinion) but its up to u

 

[Lesa Mae]

I would let nature take it course and give them back to the broody's if they're gonna hatch they've got a better chance with a broody than an incubator (in my opinion) but its up to u

They are currently with a broody but had 3 hens go broody within a few days of each other and they were all sharing one nest so it started with 4 eggs and about a week later realized we were up to 7 so there is definately several days between starts dates left all the eggs with one broody as was concerned that once they began to hatch they would fight over the babies but now worried the rest may not hatch quick enough before mommy abandons the rest to care for the babies that have hatched!!!

Just came back in from checking on the ladies now she has moved everyone a little closer to the feed and another egg is pipping so I guess it's going to be wait and hope for the best "Mother Nature knows best right ????"

 

[Teila]

Hhhhm LM, tricky one!

Agreed, Mother Nature does know best, even though we tend to question her judgement
Are you able to keep a really close eye on them? If it was me, I would do just that and then if the broody mumma does abandon the eggs to look after her chicks and you think they still need a little more time, that is when I would give them to one of the other broodies or even one to one and two to the other. If they are lucky enough to get a chick each, motherhood is a great way to break broodiness

I have also read that broodies do not usually abandon the remaining eggs unless she knows they are not viable; whether that extends out to a week, I am not sure. Hopefully someone with more experience may have some advice.

Off to the sale tomorrow! I was second guessing myself whether now is a good time to bring a newbie into the flock but having thought about it, now is probably the best time because everyone is still a little antsy with reshuffles and chicks etc and also I am on holidays. If I leave it until everything is back to 'normal' (is there such a thing with chickens?) I would just be extending the settling down process.

Going to have a look anyway and we shall see if I find my Lulu

 

[ItalyChickie]

Hi Italychickie,
Thanks for the thoughts about the baby chick not making it.
I am wondering if the eggs got comprimised from getting soiled when a couple of them cracked. Just trying hard to know what happened so I can prevent it maybe from happening again.
I had already started over with new eggs with her once so I didnt want to toss out another batch and start over again. She just has a problem with cracking eggs I think. Maybe she is clumsy? It doesnt look good for the rest of the hatch, doesnt seem to be any piping. Cant really tell because she is sitting tight.

I love the pictures of your new fuzzies!

They are so darn cute!!!
What breeds are they? It must be so fun to watch the hens share them. What lucky chicks to have 2 mommys. When one is busy they have the other to pick up the slack.
That is funny about the twins looking for another place to start over. You never know what these broodies are going to do. That is another reason I love this thread. The hormones in these hens cause them to do all sorts of bizarre things. Better than tv anyday, and cheaper than therapy.
Even if things do go wrong once in a while, I still marvel at the miracle of an ordinary cooking ingredient becoming a beautiful little fluffy baby in 21 days.!!!
It worries me when I hear that broodiness is being bred out of hens. It is such a beautiful thing.
I know we cant always let them sit on eggs, but when we can I feel it helps with the natural order of things.
Keep those pix coming...
Happy Easter my chicken family...
Marie

Aww Marie, I am so sorry it isn't looking good for the rest of the hatch!

Yes, I think it is very likely that bacteria got in there. I had a similar incident with Cenere last year (due to the roo dragging her out of nest box - she is a bit clumsy, but it definitely wasn't just that), and only 2 out of 9 remaining eggs had hatched... Hopefully you have a couple that didn't get too dirty as well! I wonder if something happened in your case too and you simply weren't there to see it happen? I think most broodies are very careful, but an external stress factor could cause them to get up in a hurry and step on eggs... Another thought - Cenere does better in a bigger box and not too closed off (i.e. enough light coming through). I have seen her watch where she is putting her big fluffy feet - I imagine she wouldn't be able to do it if it was darker.

I agree, chicken tv is the best!!!! And watching the 2 moms with the chicks makes me ooh and aah over them all the time.... They make an amazing team, I really hope they can team up again in the future.

Thank you for the compliments on my fuzzies! They are all barnyard mixes, so no particular breed... it's not easy to get just the hens of fancy breeds around here, and I don't want to mail order eggs... Also, I know I am partial, but I just adore watching them turn into completely unique chickens, and not knowing what I end up with. It also seems like I am breeding the broodiness back in, lol. For example, the broody twins are daughters of my white Leghorn, who has zero broodiness instinct. Bonnie and Dora are daughters of a Red Star, again, zero broodiness in mom, both daughters showing broody signs.

In the case of the new babies, these are the dads (Gandalf the White - silkie, and his son Clyde):





And the moms are Bonnie - pictured above with Gandalf; Cenere who you have all met, Pesca (white one with the funky hairdo below, the broody twins' sister) and Dora (creamish one below):





I am not sure which baby is whose, except for one of the yellow ones that came from Pesca's white egg, and the grey one can only be Cenere's. The brown one might be too, or if not, Bonnie's. I think the orange one is Bonnie's, and the two other white ones are Dora's, but their eggs are too similar in color to tell for sure.

There is a varying amount of leg feathering on all of them... and by varying I mean next to none on a couple of them, lol! But tiny amounts of fuzz are there, just have to look closely... Some have the extra toes as well... only the grey one has dark skin. They are going to be impossible to sex, I know!

A few close-ups of the ones I managed, you can kinda see the leg fluff/extra toes on some.




















And a soaking in the sun group shot because it was too cute:



Edited to add - apparently you can only see that leg fluff and extra toes if you click on the pics to zoom in. Oh well.
Re-edited to add a couple of better pics. Sorry for the pic overload, I'll put the phone away now! Lol.