Hatching with 2 broodies

[lizgarf]

Sorry, Coops! If your silkie is on them, I would just leave them and see how she does. Candling them now would just mess with their hatching process and not tell you much. If you don't get a hatch in a few days, or if the silkie quits too, then intervene. That's what I would try to make myself do, at least.

I just spent a good while reading posts about sexing marans chicks, and apparently there is no way to know for sure what I have for awhile. Wing-feather sexing is controversial. So, maybe I am making a serious strategic error by not adding some sexed chicks? Oh well, the eggs and I have made our decision! I'll wait and see what happens. Besides, adding younger chicks may keep the broodies from laying even longer. . . .

 

[Teila]

Gees Coops! Day 20! Sheeesh

I tend to agree with Liz .. maybe see if the Silkie can get you over the line.

Good luck! Got everything crossed and hoping so much for bubbies!

Thank you for the idea Coops. I got a couple of responses from my other thread regarding Britney but they were mostly to advise against ACV and garlic and to try worming and vitamin water. It is doing my head in now; she could have worms, she could have coccidiosis, mite, egg bound, egg yolk peritonitis or none of the above.

So, she now has Tetracycline in her water, another bowl of Tetracycline and honey water and I am now cooking up some scrambled eggs onto which I will put some yoghurt and then I am done! I am starting to think that the poor little thing has had her diet changed, she's been bathed, poked, prodded .. I'm going to feed her this treat and then leave her to it. She is in the garden, having a little bit of a scratch

 

[Teila]

Aaaargh! It just gets better! (Sarcasm intended)
Dusty has camped in the nest box and is threatening all and sundry who go near! Oh joy! Just what I need, another broody!!

So, to date, I have Cilla + 5 babies, a sick Britney and a broody Dusty. This keeping chickens thing is getting more complicated by the minute and I only have these few. How do people manage with heaps?? lol

 

[coops gone crazy]

Oh man. So Helen was back on the nest last night. Not sure she was being broody still or if that is just where she sleeps now. This morning she got off the nest. Told myself not to worry. Really not expecting much luck now anyway- suspected the eggs were all not well after she was off yesterday. 3 hours later......she was still off the nest. I reached in and felt the eggs. They were getting pretty cold. This is day 21! Seriously!!!

So- decided to just candle them to see if it was worth worrying about. Darker Marans egg- too hard to see anything. Lighter one....looked like it had a decent air cell and veins. Thought maybe movement but wasn't sure. Still hard to see well because it is a brown egg. The one little blue egg- good air cell.....was turning it a bit to see if I could tell if it was alive.....it started peeping!!!!

So- now what??? Incubator? Leave them? I really don't want to hand raise them. But I really don't trust that silly partially blind hen right now!

 

[coops gone crazy]

Alright. Had started them in the incubator. But the silly hen went back to the nest. I am going to just trust mother nature and walk away and let the hen do what hens do. My only hesitation comes from the fact that she was broody for weeks before I put the eggs under her and she has sight issues so maybe she won't act the way a good broody should. We will see in the next day or so! Come on Helen!

 

[Teila]

Yeah, come on Helen you can do it!

Woo hooo @ peeping!!

Aaaw Coops, what a harrowing nesting session you have had. Any bubbies you get are going to be tough little cookies; they really did fight to come into the world! Can't wait to see the pictures of the little super heroes!

For what it is worth, I think you may be making the right decision to leave it up to Helen and Mother Nature.

I will be interested to know how Helen goes with her partial blindness and raising her babies. Cilla is a Bantam Cochin and has very heavily feathered feet and can be clumsy sometimes, standing on her own feathers etc. I have seen her take the legs out from under a couple of her chicks when she gets excited but they just shake it off and get up again. On a couple of over-excited scratching sessions I would swear she was trying to bury them but, again, they just shake it off and carry on! Tee hee.

Come on Team Broody; got everything crossed for Coops and Helen!

PS. Slight change with Britney, she had a small breakfast, her poops are still runny but looking a little better than yesterday, spent the night on her roost, still lethargic. Continuing with the antibiotics.

 

[coops gone crazy]

Started another thread on what to do with the eggs. Helen was off them again and they were getting cold. I just couldn't stand to walk away- especially after hearing the peeping!!! So- they are in the incubator.

 

[Teila]

Started another thread on what to do with the eggs. Helen was off them again and they were getting cold. I just couldn't stand to walk away- especially after hearing the peeping!!! So- they are in the incubator.

****! That is not good news Coops ... silly Helen

I don't blame you; after hearing the peeping I would be doing all I could for them as well and if Helen is not playing the game, incubator it is!

Good luck hon; sending you lots of good thoughts for babies!!

 

[coops gone crazy]

Thanks man. It is what it is. I will say- already getting snide remarks on the new thread. LOL. I may know a thing or two about animal health and care that I maybe never let on about on this board because I don't want to deal with it. Just gotta let some things slide and go on with your day while the 'internet experts' get their kicks lording over threads. There are a lot of great people with a lot of great knowledge on here too though so.....weed through it and glean what you can right?

 

[Teila]

Thanks man. It is what it is. I will say- already getting snide remarks on the new thread. LOL. I may know a thing or two about animal health and care that I maybe never let on about on this board because I don't want to deal with it. Just gotta let some things slide and go on with your day while the 'internet experts' get their kicks lording over threads. There are a lot of great people with a lot of great knowledge on here too though so.....weed through it and glean what you can right?

Tee hee Coops .. couldn't agree more!
My thread regarding Britney, I got some eye rolls and chastising for using ACV and trying the garlic which initially sort of niggled at me but then I realised that people generally relay what works for them. I prefer to try the less invasive methods and they have worked for me to date. Having said that, I have now purchased and administered an off the shelf all wormer to Britney so that I know I have done everything I possibly can to help her. She is hanging in there and I think she has perked up a little overnight (before the worming) so fingers crossed.

Now, back to babies .. any news?

Footnote: If she poops out a great big ugly worm or a mess of little ones I will quite happily admit I was wrong! lol