Hatching with 2 broodies

[Lesa Mae]

I was hoping to get that side of the coop cleaned tonight but don't want to upset mommy she has her nest on the floor so I guess I'll just clean around the nest area until they are done hatching. Thanks Marie for the info will definately introduce then to the food and water tonight as one is already 48 hrs old

 

[tommysgirl]

Well back to the barn tonight to check in with the ladies and my 2 girls Phit & Freta have settle in quite nicely with their new wooden eggs and are happy to share that nest together, Oh ya

we have another "Sara"

Oh my goodness, that is so very sweet of you, how can I not respond? All of you are just too kind!
The thread was actually started by Coops Gone Crazy, who has shown up once in awhile, but her first hatch did not go so well, so she understandably may have wanted some space from Teila and I gushing over our babies, who knows? Teila and I were trolling for broody answers around the time Coops posted, and the rest is history.

And, in case there's any speculation out there, nothing specifically exciting is happening in my non-virtual world. I'm just realizing how many things there are I want to do off the computer, and I'm encouraging myself to do them first, before reading chicken posts. But, it is hard to give up! Almost every day, something happens with the flock I want to mention (and I usually forget what it was before I get to the computer), but I know there are plenty of other exciting things happening in your own flocks you can entertain each other with!

Thanks to Teila and TG for the well wishes too! Teila, you know I support whatever you decide with Tommy. I do think that Desi is a lot louder than I had ever imagined, and I'm not completely happy with keeping him. Rousseau has not grown back her feathers under her saddle, and I feel bad for the girls sometimes, even though I know over all he's a good rooster. Give yourself permission to deal with whatever Tommy in whatever way feels right as the situation evolves.

Y'all be sure to keep tagging me if you want me to voice in on something, and I'll be happy to oblige. And, I promise to post if Jan ever lays!

@lizgarf : Years ago when my daughters were in high school I was blind to just about everything but researching colleges and all that it took to get into them...yes I was one of THOSE moms. Anyway it took a toll on my real life and on my sense of self. It is far healthier for you and your relationships to step away from the screen. Look forward to hearing from you when we can but applaud you doing what is best for you IRL!

Don't know how much longer I can keep this up !!

it's like the hatching marathon yes another baby this morning and external pipping on 2 more eggs . So far so good momma is doing great and these little ones are starting to venture out into the big world loving watching them . Have a question maybe someone can answer with the babies hatching one per day is this going to cause a problem with them learning to eat while momma is still tending to her last few eggs ??? These are the first hatch we have so completely blind going into this not sure if now is a good time to start worrying about them not eating yet !!!!

Here is my suggestion based on limited experience:

First Marie gave great advice: the babies don't need to eat for three days so they will be fine but it is good to show them where things are. However mama may not be OK with them wandering about and may get up off those pipped eggs before the babies have a chance to hatch. I would get a pseudo hatcher ready in case she bails before they are out.

Get your slow cooker full of HOT water and maybe an electric kettle. plug them in in the bathroom and close it off. let it get nice and humid in there (if you won't be around to keep an eye on things unplug the kettle.) meanwhile

Get a shoebox put shavings and a thermometer in it and put it under a desk lamp or a heat lamp. and once the temp is up around 99/100 put that in the bathroom too.

If she gets off the remaining eggs to care for the hatched Saras pop them into the shoebox. I have never done this but have read that it can work.

Good Luck

 

[Lesa Mae]

Thanks so much tommygirl was getting concerned as the hatches are so far spaced apart I have food and water very close by and mommy is keeping the little ones under her as much as possible little heads keep popping out and she puts them right back in!!! It's still pretty cold here so don't think she will leave her nest for long -4 here at night still thus put essentials as close as possible for her in hopes she stays with he eggs until everyone makes their grand entrance into this big world. Won't freak out just yet then about them not eating yet and will have more time over the long weekend to get everyone on the same page. It is great to have people who can answer the questions for us newbies! Thanks again

 

[ItalyChickie]

Don't know how much longer I can keep this up !!

it's like the hatching marathon yes another baby this morning and external pipping on 2 more eggs . So far so good momma is doing great and these little ones are starting to venture out into the big world loving watching them . Have a question maybe someone can answer with the babies hatching one per day is this going to cause a problem with them learning to eat while momma is still tending to her last few eggs ??? These are the first hatch we have so completely blind going into this not sure if now is a good time to start worrying about them not eating yet !!!!

Aww, all those Saras are adorable!

Yes, the newborn chicks are okay without food and water for up to 72 hours, though I did read somewhere on the forums that it's best to not wait quite that long if possible. If you have small dishes that fit in there with them and are hard to tip over and spill (i.e. heavy), I usually put those within mom's reach, and she teaches them to eat and drink without getting up. (added - just saw your later post, and that she does have them. It is entirely possible she already showed them... they tend to let them come out when we are not around, sneaky chickens!)

Mine do get up after a couple of days, maybe 3 at most. Tommysgirl's advice is awesome for the eventual unhatched eggs! We also had success with a heat lamp and water dish for humidity inside a box last year - but I think the other method sounds easier.


All is well over here, the Cenere-Ombretta team are doing a great job, the babies are beginning to grow tiny wing feathers, and the broody twins appear to be broken, FINALLY!!! (not before getting beat up by Cenere though.... I should have tried that method before.)

Busy day over here, I'll catch up on the rest of the thread over the weekend - hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Lesa Mae]

Aww, all those Saras are adorable!

Yes, the newborn chicks are okay without food and water for up to 72 hours, though I did read somewhere on the forums that it's best to not wait quite that long if possible. If you have small dishes that fit in there with them and are hard to tip over and spill (i.e. heavy), I usually put those within mom's reach, and she teaches them to eat and drink without getting up. (added - just saw your later post, and that she does have them. It is entirely possible she already showed them... they tend to let them come out when we are not around, sneaky chickens!)

Mine do get up after a couple of days, maybe 3 at most. Tommysgirl's advice is awesome for the eventual unhatched eggs! We also had success with a heat lamp and water dish for humidity inside a box last year - but I think the other method sounds easier.


All is well over here, the Cenere-Ombretta team are doing a great job, the babies are beginning to grow tiny wing feathers, and the broody twins appear to be broken, FINALLY!!! (not before getting beat up by Cenere though.... I should have tried that method before.)

Busy day over here, I'll catch up on the rest of the thread over the weekend - hope everyone is doing well!

Thanks for all the great tips I would never have thought of the hot water and heat lamp great to know I have options if it comes to that which I hope it doesn't

 

[16 paws]

Tommysgirl,

Thanks for the kind words, I am humbled....

You and I are on deck now for the next hatch arent we? I hope everything goes smooth for you.

Penny is still brooding away but down to 9 eggs from 13 to start. Dont really know how or why they got broken but maybe because she is so big. Has anyone out there had experience with a Jersey Giant broodie? We have had a lot of eggs crack on her former broodiness also. We have never had a hatch here due to no roos so I hope something good happens. I am concerned about the broken eggs effecting the others. Oh well, we shall see!

ItalyChickie,
Congratulations on your new fuzzies!

I am really loving the pictures. The one of the little chick looking up at mom is so adorable! Just in time for Easter! Enjoy watching your babies grow up.

Try not to be too upset about the guys that didnt make it. I was reading about this old timers methods of dealing with broodies and he said it was his experience that the ones that dont make it were never susposed to. He said that in the beginning of his chicken keeping he would try to help if a hatchingling needed it but he also went on to observe that they had problems in the future.Now he just lets everything happen naturally. Maybe there was something wrong from the start? I know it still hurts, because EVERY life is important, but we dont always see the whole picture. Just thought I would share this with you to try and make you feel a little better. It made sense to me....

Teila, I understand your concerns and frustrations with the roo thing.It is a decision we all seem to have to make if we keep chickens. You will know the right thing to do.
I am excited to see what you build on your time off!

Speaking of building things....
You know how we were talking about the portable nest boxes? In case we had to move a broody?
Well, my son and I built 2 for our girls in case we need to separate another broody.
There is a website called Anna White. She has some wonderful plans for different items to build and sure enough there is a real easy nest box to build. I made one with her dimensions first, gave that one to the banties to use and then made another bigger one for my full size girls. They are really fun to make and come out super cute. I put curtains up because they seem to like the extra privacy.
Here are a couple pix. Let me know if you have any questions.

Blessings to all of our broody bunch!
Marie

 

[tommysgirl]

Thanks so much tommygirl was getting concerned as the hatches are so far spaced apart I have food and water very close by and mommy is keeping the little ones under her as much as possible little heads keep popping out and she puts them right back in!!! It's still pretty cold here so don't think she will leave her nest for long -4 here at night still thus put essentials as close as possible for her in hopes she stays with he eggs until everyone makes their grand entrance into this big world. Won't freak out just yet then about them not eating yet and will have more time over the long weekend to get everyone on the same page. It is great to have people who can answer the questions for us newbies! Thanks again

Forgot to share that for whatever reason littles are often drawn to water in the first few days and will get into it and drown themselves. To help prevent this fill the basin then put a bunch of clean marbles or stones in there. The marbles and those glass "stones" are good because they are shiny and attract the babies to the water.

I saw Petunia off the nest for the first time today. I am sure she has been getting up I just haven't witnessed it It was too funny because she was so puffed up that at first I thought one of my Delawares (also white birds) had somehow broken into the pen. I know nothing about Standards and the proper descriptions of a bird's shape

but Dels are big bodied and shaped like a D that has been tipped side ways...straight side on top. Petunia's mama is a Polish so she is probably 2 lbs less than a Del girl and streamlined more like a nerf football. But, puffed up like she was she had me confounded for several seconds. It was the buc buc buc that gave her away.

Anyway no pips yet but I am thinking we may see some action tomorrow.

 

[randerson846]

That does sound like a nice mix.  Did your bator arrive yet?  I don't want to worry you but as soon as you can get your bator up to temps and get it holding steady you will need to get those eggs in.  The fresher the eggs the better the hatch.  best of luck.   You really should read this article if you want more information.  I have only used an incubator two time and had pretty horrid results both times.  Sally on the other hand is a total pro at it  https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

No :/:/ and Ok thank you, and i have another problem I went to my friend today and he gave me 18 fertile hen eggs, and he gave me 3 fertile duck eggs as well and I don't want them to go to waste, as I also wanted to hatch them so what do I do, can I hatch them together or what.
(I have a sixty egg incubator so space isn't a problem) Help!

 

[tommysgirl]

Tommysgirl,

Thanks for the kind words, I am humbled....

You and I are on deck now for the next hatch arent we? I hope everything goes smooth for you.

Penny is still brooding away but down to 9 eggs from 13 to start. Dont really know how or why they got broken but maybe because she is so big. Has anyone out there had experience with a Jersey Giant broodie? We have had a lot of eggs crack on her former broodiness also. We have never had a hatch here due to no roos so I hope something good happens. I am concerned about the broken eggs effecting the others. Oh well, we shall see!

ItalyChickie,
Congratulations on your new fuzzies!

I am really loving the pictures. The one of the little chick looking up at mom is so adorable! Just in time for Easter! Enjoy watching your babies grow up.

Try not to be too upset about the guys that didnt make it. I was reading about this old timers methods of dealing with broodies and he said it was his experience that the ones that dont make it were never susposed to. He said that in the beginning of his chicken keeping he would try to help if a hatchingling needed it but he also went on to observe that they had problems in the future.Now he just lets everything happen naturally. Maybe there was something wrong from the start? I know it still hurts, because EVERY life is important, but we dont always see the whole picture. Just thought I would share this with you to try and make you feel a little better. It made sense to me....

Teila, I understand your concerns and frustrations with the roo thing.It is a decision we all seem to have to make if we keep chickens. You will know the right thing to do.
I am excited to see what you build on your time off!

Speaking of building things....
You know how we were talking about the portable nest boxes? In case we had to move a broody?
Well, my son and I built 2 for our girls in case we need to separate another broody.
There is a website called Anna White. She has some wonderful plans for different items to build and sure enough there is a real easy nest box to build. I made one with her dimensions first, gave that one to the banties to use and then made another bigger one for my full size girls. They are really fun to make and come out super cute. I put curtains up because they seem to like the extra privacy.
Here are a couple pix. Let me know if you have any questions.

Blessings to all of our broody bunch!
Marie

Love your new builds...thanks for the recommendation for the website. You are welcome and yes my girls are due to start hatching on Sat but maybe some will come early. All 16 eggs were looking good as of Tuesday night so I hope all goes well!. Then I start a new batch after this one is over. New life is so amazing! This time last year I was a a week away from getting 25 chicks in the mail and hatching a bunch more in the bator. From that crop I kept just 6. From this batch I hope to get a few good layers as well as a start on a Silkied D'Uccle project.

No

and Ok thank you, and i have another problem I went to my friend today and he gave me 18 fertile hen eggs, and he gave me 3 fertile duck eggs as well and I don't want them to go to waste, as I also wanted to hatch them so what do I do, can I hatch them together or what.
(I have a sixty egg incubator so space isn't a problem) Help!

Go ahead put them all in together. Since you haven't started incubating any at this point it is no problem with that part of it. Any viable fertiles are all just little same age embryos waiting for warmth and humidity right now. Also since one set of eggs was not shipped it is probably going to have a better hatch rate anyway.

That said, people often pop a few more eggs into the incubator within 24 or so hours of starting a hatch. It doesn't hurt and it often works. Best of Luck. I hope that you get some lovely chicks.

 

[randerson846]

Ok