Hatching with 2 broodies

[lizgarf]

Teila- any chicks?

x2! Teila, surely you're awake in Oz by now!

 

[Teila]

Yeah, I'm awake, having internet problems .. not so perfect timing I might add
Aaaargh, nothing yet, not that I can hear anyway, she hasn't jumped off yet this morning so no peeking at eggs to see what is happening ... reading Patience 101 at the moment .. lol

 

[coops gone crazy]

Well heck- I'm getting antsy for you! 2 days down and my girls are sitting tight. Reached my hand in under Helen and felt a pile of warm dry eggs.

 

[Teila]

Lol Coops, I'm way past antsy and zooming rapidly towards certifiable/chicken stalker!
I went out to empty the vacuum bag and she off the eggs, dropped the bag and raced over for a look-see!
No change .. the egg with the 'thing happening' has not changed at all and I picked it up very carefully for a quick sniff, doesn't smell bad, put it right back in the same position. From what I could see the other 4 all look OK .. wow, who knew this could be so nerve wracking? lol

 

[lizgarf]

Lol Coops, I'm way past antsy and zooming rapidly towards certifiable/chicken stalker!
I went out to empty the vacuum bag and she off the eggs, dropped the bag and raced over for a look-see!
No change .. the egg with the 'thing happening' has not changed at all and I picked it up very carefully for a quick sniff, doesn't smell bad, put it right back in the same position. From what I could see the other 4 all look OK .. wow, who knew this could be so nerve wracking? lol

Seriously! I've spent way more time obsessing over this hatch than I ever would have spent on acquiring an actual grown, laying chicken, or even chicks! I've gotten so many emails about available chicks since this whole thing started, just taunting me!
But, I managed to refrain from candleing any eggs tonight. I'll do one more candle tomorrow (day 15ish), and see how it goes from there!
Did I ever post pics of my broodies on this thread? Here's one I took when I was worried I'd wound up with 3 broodies, but luckily Grace decided to keep Bettina the brahma company in the land of the living, and leave this clutch to the other two bantams.
From left to right, Grace, Frida, and Rousseau:

 

[Teila]

Seriously! I've spent way more time obsessing over this hatch than I ever would have spent on acquiring an actual grown, laying chicken, or even chicks! I've gotten so many emails about available chicks since this whole thing started, just taunting me!
But, I managed to refrain from candleing any eggs tonight. I'll do one more candle tomorrow (day 15ish), and see how it goes from there!
Did I ever post pics of my broodies on this thread? Here's one I took when I was worried I'd wound up with 3 broodies, but luckily Grace decided to keep Bettina the brahma company in the land of the living, and leave this clutch to the other two bantams.
From left to right, Grace, Frida, and Rousseau:

Aaaw Liz, they look adorable!
The girls are all tucked up for the night .. no change except I only saw Cilla off the nest that one time today.
Getting close now .. go Team Broodies!

 

[Teila]

Good morning Team Broody!
Well, here I sit at work, no idea what is going on at home!
I start work at 7am so mornings with the girls consist of a quick water change, breakfast, quick clean and chat and then off I go ... Cilla was on the eggs and I couldn't hear anything .. .it is going to be a long day!!
2-3 to go (maybe)

 

[lizgarf]

Thanks for checking in!! I was wondering how it was going!
I love our little mini-hatch-along. The official ones are a bit unwieldy.

 

[tommysgirl]

Thanks for checking in!! I was wondering how it was going!
I love our little mini-hatch-along. The official ones are a bit unwieldy.

agree 100% Too many peeps to keep track of in the official ones.

 

[lizgarf]

Alrighty, I just did my final candle (I hope!) at Day 15. Of the remaining 6 eggs, 3 definitely look like there are chickies in them! Even on the 2 marans, they have good veins, an air sac, and the rest is a dark area looking like it might be a chick. The other 3 have me worried. It's harder to tell on the dark eggs, but they seemed more like the remaining blue than the other two darks, which means one big dark area and one big air cell area, no veins. None of the eggs smelled, which is a plus, but they all seem to have saddle shaped air cells, which I hear can make hatching harder. So, hopefully Frida and Rousseau will get them positioned right and help out as needed, because I really want them to hatch and grow into at least one hen! (I'm still in denial about what to do with any roos . . . if I get 3 roos and no hens, I'll be sticking with pullets or sexed chicks from here on out!)

I'm still debating about whether to move them and their two moms into a pen before hatch. I might do it on the night of day 19 . . .

Home from work, yet, Teila?