Help Please Do we have lift off? Yes we do!! UPDATE

[gryeyes]

OMG. I'm almost as eggscited as you!

My Buffy's chick(s) should hatch the weekend of June 27th. I can so see me going out there every two hours to mess with her. MUST remember not to do that. MUST not do that. Don't do it. Just don't do it. Read BYC posts all day long, that's what I'll do.

Yah, riiiiight.

Anyway, not to hijack your thread, WAY TO GO!!!! Congrats to Gussie!!!

 

[macmama]

Quote:
Yay!

It's so fun isn't it! Mine were REALLY fast to hatch-- like pip to hatch in under an hour, and all 5 were done within 5 hours... so I think you definitely get to peek in the morning. If you make it that long...

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

I just saw a chick!!

It peeked, popped out from beneath mama and then scooted back under her. WOOT!

And NO, I didn't lift Gussie up to have a look. I saw some of her feathers move toward her back end, so I peeked in through the upper side vents of the kennel.

 

[3goodeggs]

yeah! go Gussie!

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

So here we are on Monday morning and out of the 5 eggs beneath Gussie, only the one has hatched. I haven't had a good look at the eggs to see if there is any sign of pipping, I have only lifted her up enough to see that they are there.

SO, how much longer to I leave her to sit on these before I take them away and leave her to get on with mothering the one chick that has hatched?

 

[macmama]

She'll leave when she's ready-- I think they wait 2 or 3 days after hatching the first one to leave. Mine was up within 12 hours, but all of her eggs hatched and took out all of the eggshells. If there aren't any pips you could candle to see if the rest of the eggs are any good.

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

Quote:
So, should I pull out the eggs and have a look at them? I have been reluctant to disturb. Also, when should I open the door so Gussie and chickie can go in and out - there are 2 other hens in my flock - an araucana (more likely an easter egger) and and ISA brown. I think Gussie is top of the pecking order.

 

[macmama]

I'm a total newbie, but when I reintroduced mama and the chicks at one week it was absolutely no big deal. I would open the door now to let her leave if she wants to, and I'd personally want to check the eggs even though others would probably say leave them alone. If you can get a quick peek-- as long as there aren't any external pips you don't have to worry about shrinkwrapping so you can take them and candle them quickly. If they don't hatch within a few days of the first one I doubt they're going to... either because they're bad or because mama is going to leave and take care of the chick. Were they all there from the beginning? Or could some of them have been laid a while into incubation?