Hatching with 2 broodies

[texgardengal]

They are beautiful...even Jan. lol I really love the black chickens. The beetle sheen is so pretty. I have been a little afraid of the color though because it gets so hot here. We have months of 100+ in the summer. I have no idea if the heat is harder of black chickens?? But, I would think it would be....something to think about.
I had the same problem with the two hens using the same nesting box, they worked it out laying side by side but when Molly had her chicks Sassy finally moved her nest to the top of the nesting boxes....Then Molly started laying there and finally nesting there the next time....She just couldn't stand Sassy having a nest to herself. She's such a bully..lol.

Go Jan...lets see those eggs!

 

[Teila]

Wow, you gals have been busy while I have just been sleeping. It is nearly 08:00am and I have fed the cats, started a loaf of bread, fed the girls and now I am sitting in front of the computer with my cup of coffee; trying to wake up.

I love that I have our thread to look forward to each morning before I start my day, it sure beats reading the newspaper

Oooh TG, that is exciting! Can't wait for the pictures .. more Team Broody Bubbies It is great that you have a breeding plan. The extent of my 'breeding plan' is that I want a brown feathered beach ball just like her mumma lol. Maybe if I do get the chance to move away from suburbia that will change.

TGG, ditto; I don't know what I would do without you gals to chat to; the support, company and commiserations are priceless

Congratulations on the E.Bay score! It would be wonderful if you could get George back. Looking forward to the pictures of the new abode
Dusty and Cilla are black and as you know, we get some pretty hot days here in Aus. They don't seem to suffer any more than the lighter coloured girls and always seems to manage to find a cool spot to snooze. On the extremely hot days I damp down their dirt bath and they seem happy enough laying in the cool dirt. As long as the sun is not beating directly down on them, they manage

Liz, excellent news on the DDD

I know how much effort you have put into keeping him and truly admire you for that.
As you know, Dusty and Cilla shared a nesting box without dramas up until Cilla became broody again. Dusty accepted pretty quickly that she could not use it any more and is now happily laying in the Ranch. It will be interesting to see what she does when Casa Del Chookie is opened up into one again. It is also going to be interesting to see if the sleeping arrangements rearrange. I think communal nests may work for two girls but wonder if anymore might get tricky. Having four girls all trying to lay at the same time might cause some angst. Could you have a communal nest for say maybe two and then two divided for privacy if they want it?
All your chickens are gorgeous!
Come on girls; bring on those eggs!

In General News: Apparently Silkie pullets can start laying around the 5 month mark which we are two weeks on the shy side of. Again, looking good that Tina and Suzi are not roosters, surely if there is chance they might start laying soon we should have heard some attempts to crow? They are both becoming quiet proficient at the chicken song but no crows. I read a funny quote from a Silkie Breeder that you need to take the eggs away from a Silkie ASAP "one egg is breakfast, two eggs is an invitation to become broody" lol.

Start of Day 18. Everyone is going along nicely; no dramas. I don't know about other broodies as Cilla is the only one I have had but I kid you not, she just constantly natters away to those eggs and keeps looking down towards them!

So this is the Chateau, Cilla is camped out behind the little door with the glass pane. While I am at work her and the babies have space under the nesting box and in the little wire A-frame at the front. The black fence is the extra area I have given them for supervised exploring when I am home, note the A-frame door at the front opens into it ....

 

[coops gone crazy]

Hey all! Just thought I'd check in and man has this little thread kept going! I've missed a ton. Just wanted to let you know I tried another hatch (FBCM eggs I got locally). My silkie went broody at the same time so input 4 under her and 8 in the incubator. As of today 6 healthy chicks and the silkie has taken them all in. One left that still may hatch but is looking pretty late.

 

[lizgarf]

Coops!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back!!!
Congrats on the hatch! Such pretty babies! Have you seen the pictures of my FBCMs all grown up?! Beautiful birds! Let me know if your boys holler as much as Desi.

 

[coops gone crazy]

Thanks! I tried to scroll back and do a little catching up but you guys have been busy! I didn't run across the pictures of the FBCM grown up except maybe one with one hen in the background? I have 1 FBCM hen from a previous hatch that I love. Although the neighbors dogs came into the yard while they were free ranging a couple weeks ago and plucked a large portion of her tail and her entire left rump. Luckily they really didn't hurt her though. The rooster daddy of the chicks I just hatched was not a nice boy. His owner had to use a rake and shove him into a closet to even clean the coop! Lets pray for pullets! Oh- and I still have one lone egg in the incubator (most hatched on Valentines day....one yesterday). I thought it was dead so I broke some of the shell over the air cell to check before calling it quits and there was a wiggly chick in there. The membrane was all still intact but the vessels were large so I put it back hoping it may still hatch. It has been like that since yesterday morning and is still alive in there! The veins seem to have shrunk up a bit. I'm keeping the humidity up and once in a while moisten a q-tip and moisten the membrane inside through the hole in the shell. I really doubt it will make it but we will see.

 

[Teila]

Hey there Coops, Welcome Back!
Congratulations on the bubbies; they are just gorgeous

Day 19 has come to an end; nothing to report; all quiet in the nest box. Cilla ate some rice and cooked rolled oats out of my hand while on the nest tonight. It was very hot today but hubby got home early and was able to give her water from her special cup. She is hanging in there. I am getting very excited; hopefully some pips tomorrow

 

[tommysgirl]

Hey TG. I'm going to draw on your experience....you have mentioned incubating and raising chicks yourself. I have 10 eggs that Molly and Sassy are sitting on. I have a neighbor who feels certain his momma hen will adopt and raise just fine but I want to know a little bit more about how you do it. After hatching, do you just set them up in the house with a heat lamp and for how long? At what point do you take them outside. I guess you would have to supply supplemental heat til they are feathered out . Will you keep them in the coops you just built after they get a little bigger.? Will they have access to the larger "yard" so they can meet the rest of the flock? 20 questions, hu. Lol. Any help you can give me, I'd really appreciate.

I Can't Wait! To see how your hatching combinations are going to turn out this next generation.

I am happy to have my brain picked!

Does your neighbor have a broody then? How come you want to pass them over to your neighbor? I am just curious b/c I am hoping to give these two BACK to the broody if they hatch. I will be interested in how you do it. Other than doing it after dark I am not clear what to do or expect.

As far as raising them in the house, I set up a brooder...a plastic tub with absorbent paper towels in the bottom a clip on lamp with a 75 watt bulb water with marbles in it so they wouldn't drown themselves and chick starter. My first batch stayed inside for 6 weeks but my next batch moved outside into the coop at 3 weeks with a heat source in the coop until they were about 6 weeks.

I will try to give these babies, if they hatch, back to broody mama after her others hatch. I do hope she takes them but If not I will raise them in the house until we are ready to move them out.

When integrating young ones with older ones it is important to keep an eye out for bullying and to provide the younger ones with a feeding and water station they can get to and a space to get away from the meanies but if your yard is big enough it can go pretty smoothly.

I have a bully, my Australorp, Buckbeak so I would let her out to range early so that the youngsters would get some peace.

Now all the girls can peacefully range together and sometimes have sleep overs in one anothers' coops but it is a process.

I read on here that 2 month old chicks are at a good age to integrate. They are big enough and wily enough to escape a meanie but small enough that they aren't going to challenge anyone on the PO.

Hey all! Just thought I'd check in and man has this little thread kept going! I've missed a ton. Just wanted to let you know I tried another hatch (FBCM eggs I got locally). My silkie went broody at the same time so input 4 under her and 8 in the incubator. As of today 6 healthy chicks and the silkie has taken them all in. One left that still may hatch but is looking pretty late.

Welcome back Coops! Congrats on the new littles.

Hey there Coops, Welcome Back!
Congratulations on the bubbies; they are just gorgeous

Day 19 has come to an end; nothing to report; all quiet in the nest box. Cilla ate some rice and cooked rolled oats out of my hand while on the nest tonight. It was very hot today but hubby got home early and was able to give her water from her special cup. She is hanging in there. I am getting very excited; hopefully some pips tomorrow

Nothing to report here either. I have had a rough time keeping the temp consistent. No really high temps but they have dipped down to 92. That will delay hatching a bit for these two. I hope for pips any minute but we will see what happens. Broody mama hadn't gone into lockdown mode as of yesterday afternoon but I checked with the BYC Nor Cal gurus and they said it was normal.

 

[tommysgirl]

Remember when I said there was nothing to report??? That was before I had a PIP!!!!!! more later. making a romantic dinner for Tom and trying to get all the prep done now.

 

[Teila]

Remember when I said there was nothing to report??? That was before I had a PIP!!!!!! more later. making a romantic dinner for Tom and trying to get all the prep done now.

YES!! Woo hoo

Hhhhm, Cilla did not go into lock down mode last hatch and has not done so this hatch either.
Day 20 begins, I got a quick look at the eggs before work this morning but not really long enough to see much. Fingers crossed I have some Pips when I get home from work.

I have no idea what or if anything is going on; have not touched the eggs in 20 days! I hope for her sake she is not nattering away to 9 duds lol. Getting excited now!!

 

[lizgarf]

How exciting about the pip, TG!

Still no eggs from Marsha. She's still squatting and checking out the nests, but not doing anything about it. I put a divider in the big nest, but so far they're still just taking turns. It's only about 8 inches high, so maybe I need a taller one. The two nests in there now should be big enough for the birds. Jan is not squatting, but that doesn't stop Desi from being interested in her. I haven't seen him go after Marsha yet. She's pretty intimidating.

The past two eggs I've cracked from Rousseau look like they have a little bull's eye, so I don't think Desi is shooting blanks. I'm no longer squeamish about the idea of eating their fertile eggs, but I'm not enjoying the whole mating process, as the hens don't seem to be enjoying it! I hope Desi improves his technique. A funny moment this afternoon happened while he was trying to pin Rousseau down, and Bettina came over and gave him a good peck on the head and got him to stop. But then, he succeed in mounting Bettina, and that felt weird to me. I know this is all part of life and all and I'm not normally squeamish about sex, but this process does not look fun for them. Does it get better?

Coops, there are tons of pictures of my now-grown BCM chicks. You can click on the "view all" images on the right and see them more easily than scrolling through posts. Good luck with that last chick and congrats on the rest!