I’m not Mother Nature, but..... My journey hatching broody and bator chicks

[HuffleClaw]

@HuffleClaw, come see my babies.

BABIES?! Oh my goodness!!!!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Oh my goodness. I have been up in the coop, laying on my stomach under the poop board with my head in the chick cage just watching them interact with momma. So endearing. It reminded me of when I was about 10 and one of my granddaddy’s beagles had a mess of pups. He had put her in one side of the corn crib to have them and it was a mess in there, to put it mildly. I didn’t care. I would spend every afternoon after school and all day on the weekends in there with those pups from the time they were born. I like it when something today takes me back to when things were good and innocent. Just me and my animals (of some sort) all the time.

Back to my chicks now. Yes, they all have the characteristic chipmunk stripes of their father, a Welsummer. As for the mothers, two were from my EE and then two unknown brown eggs. I had said in an earlier post that I thought my SLW laid the darker egg that the little yellow one hatched from, but thinking back I believe both my Rocks (barred and white) lay a fairly medium brown egg.

The little yellow chick is the only one I know for sure came from a certain egg. The dead chick had a single comb and no puffy cheeks. Now here are my remaining three. Hopefully I will be able to figure this out.

Brown Chick #1

• Darker of the two browns
• Seems to have puffy cheeks
• Appears to have something other than a single comb. Pea or rose?
• Possible EE mother?
• Hopefully an Olive Egger female

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Brown Chick #2

• This one has a Marilyn Monroe beauty spot above right eye
• Lighter of the two
• Seems to have puffy cheeks
• Not certain of comb
• Possible EE mother?
• Hopefully an Olive Egger female

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Yellow Chick

• Has the chipmunk markings, only in shades of yellow and gold
• Does not appear to have puffy cheeks
• Single comb
• Hatched from medium brown shell
• Possible white rock mother?

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They are all beautiful, nonetheless, whether pullet or cockerel!

The brown egg layers I have in my flock that were laying at the time I got this wild hair to set eggs were:

RIR
SS
BPR
WR
GLW
CW
SLW
Buckeye
Part Cochin
Dom
Australorp
SG Dorking

SO FLIPPING CUTE!! Aaaaaahhhh!!

 

[Mimi13]

And there are 8 more in the incubator due this next week. I haven’t posted their candling pictures from this morning yet.

 

[HuffleClaw]

And there are 8 more in the incubator due this next week. I haven’t posted their candling pictures from this morning yet.

MORE BABIES?! Omg yay! I have 8 due the 30th in my bator

 

[Mimi13]

Finally I have gotten the chance to post the candling pictures of the bator eggs. Earlier I said there were 8, but I don’t know why. Really I don’t. There are 10 eggs, however, only 9 I believe are viable. @aart, here is the ADD/CRS in full swing.

Egg #1 Barnevelder
Last week I couldn’t see the air sac and thought this egg was a quitter. But I think it’s a contender this week.

Egg #2 Buckeye

Egg #8 Unknown
I believe this egg to be a quitter sometime between day 7 and day 14. It is still in the incubator and provided it doesn’t go ka-plooie this next week, I will do an eggtopsy on it.

Egg #9 Unknown

Egg #10 Partridge Cochin?

Egg #11 Unknown
This little chick was showing me all it had. It was all gung-ho in that shell. Probably why there’s 4 pics.

Egg #12 Unknown

Egg #13 Unknown

Egg #14 Easter Egger

Egg #17 Easter Egger

Only a few short days till I come nose to beak with some of these little sweet babies. I can only hope I do them justice by not letting any of them die because of my negligence/stupidity. #AintNobodyGotTimeFoThat

And yes, this whole chicken keeping world is the disease of addiction. #IMustStop

Goodnight to all!

 

[Kfults]

I had all those dilemmas, but in the end I decided to take a chance on my young broody. We are both learning together. I have an incubator for the eggs should she abandon them. She is also in her own ‘apartment’ with food and water, which she has never touched. I check on her welfare 5-6 times a day and let her out once each day. I closely observe her actions and behavior while she is out. Nature is truly amazing.

I have a broody on day 15, she leaves the nest when I open her cage but gets bullied away from food ect. She has food and water in her enclosure but doesn’t seem to be eating it. So I have started putting a small can of wet cat food in her enclosure and she gets up and eats that! A high protein treat all to herself! It is normal for the flock to “forget” the broody because she is keeping herself secluded. I have a momma with 2 week old chicks and she was bullied while broody and I worried but now that she has chicks.... no one seems to bother her or the chicks! She has the chicks all over the hen yard and is teaching them all they need to know! My girls are only 10mo old and first time broody but have done very well. Mother Nature has been incredible to watch

 

[Kfults]

My first momma with her babies. They are so much fun to watch out and about in the yard

 

[aart]

Great Candling Pics!

 

[Mimi13]

I have a broody on day 15, she leaves the nest when I open her cage but gets bullied away from food ect. She has food and water in her enclosure but doesn’t seem to be eating it. So I have started putting a small can of wet cat food in her enclosure and she gets up and eats that! A high protein treat all to herself! It is normal for the flock to “forget” the broody because she is keeping herself secluded. I have a momma with 2 week old chicks and she was bullied while broody and I worried but now that she has chicks.... no one seems to bother her or the chicks! She has the chicks all over the hen yard and is teaching them all they need to know! My girls are only 10mo old and first time broody but have done very well. Mother Nature has been incredible to watch

You are so right about how incredible this journey has been. Mother Nature has always blown me away with the whole aspect of birth and nurturing. I’ve seen it with my own self and my grandchildren and then also with cows, horses, cats and dogs. But this is the first time I’ve seen it with chickens, in real life anyway and, of course, it’s just more exciting seeing anything firsthand.

My broody still has not brought the chicks out of their crate yet, but of course I worry. It is rainy and chilly here so I’m wondering if that might not hold her back some. The little boogers don’t stay out from under her for more than a 5 or so minute stretch to eat, etc.

 

[aart]

My broody still has not brought the chicks out of their crate yet, but of course I worry

Can they get in and out of the crate nest? Might need a ramp?