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

[chickengr]

This link is wonderful! I still don’t understand everything it’s saying, but it has enlightened me quite a bit!

Unfortunately for me, when these chicks were hatching I kept thinking how incredibly large their feet and legs were. And today, two weeks later, I still think that. It is very likely, I guess, that I could have a 100% hatch rate of cockerels. Man oh man, what are the odds and what a great learning experience I have before me! I mean, I haven’t had the best of luck raising a “perfect” male! Oh, wait, wth did I just say? That doesn’t even exist, does it? Nah! Who am I kidding! Uh, okay, I’m good!

large feet and legs still don't mean you have cockerels. a few years ago I had a nacked neck pullet with huge feet. when I posted a pic everyone said cockerel. I named her jumbo. when at the age of 3 monts her comb still was pink I understood she was a girl. she was a mixed breed naked neck.

 

[chickengr]

Here are several shots of my broody raised chicks. They are 3 weeks old. I have not had any hands on with these chicks at all. They are just about as wild as the old barn kittens I remember as a child.

These three chicks have identical “twins” that I hatched in the incubator. The two chipmunk chicks are from my EE and the yellow one is unknown, but I thought possibly from my WPR.
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These two from the EE differ in size and also the length of their tail. One tail is over an inch long and the other is barely just pin feathers emerging.
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These next two pics show the beginning of the red feathers emerging from under the yellow down on the top of the shoulders and in front of them.
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I was able to finally get ahold of this little booger. Hit my head on the run rafter in the process. Here are some up close shots of the emerging red feathers.
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The chipmunk pattern is still evident under the chick’s wings.
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Aren’t I lucky? Looks like another cockerel. [so totally sarcastic]
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@WVduckchick, these pictures of the yellow chick probably make things even more confusing as to what it could be.
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in the first pic I see 2 girls and 1 boy (darker chipmunk is a boy). even the last yellow chick looks more like girl to me.

3 coloured chipmunk is a girl. 2 coloured chipmunk is a boy. that is a rule.

red on the wings does not necessarily mean it is a boy. mixed colours can really be mixed.

 

[WVduckchick]

in the first pic I see 2 girls and 1 boy (darker chipmunk is a boy). even the last yellow chick looks more like girl to me.

3 coloured chipmunk is a girl. 2 coloured chipmunk is a boy. that is a rule.

red on the wings does not necessarily mean it is a boy. mixed colours can really be mixed.

I was hoping you would chime in! You are so much better at telling gender than me. Can you guess the mothers?

 

[chickengr]

I was hoping you would chime in! You are so much better at telling gender than me. Can you guess the mothers?

unfortunately no.

when I sex chicks I watch their combs. I have noticed that boy's combs start from the front part of the nostrils and the girl's combs start at the back part of the nostrils and are smaller close to the nostrils. that works with single comb only. I hope you understand what I mean.

 

[Mimi13]

large feet and legs still don't mean you have cockerels. a few years ago I had a nacked neck pullet with huge feet. when I posted a pic everyone said cockerel. I named her jumbo. when at the age of 3 monts her comb still was pink I understood she was a girl. she was a mixed breed naked neck.

You know what? That is so good to hear! This morning when I was sitting with my babies, they were all perched along my stretched out legs, they looked so absolutely adorable and then they would get up and I’d see their dang feet again. All that cuteness disappeared as those enormously ugly big old feet were revealed.

As I hold each chick, I keep telling them to please, please be a little pullet. But I’m afraid I’m wasting my breath. However, when I’m looking at them of course I’m comparing their combs and they’re all large. But then again, I’m comparing peaches to pecans because these are all mixed birds. My two chicks from the EE still have very small combs, only because they have pea combs. That’s a guess on the comb type.

Oh well, time will tell!

in the first pic I see 2 girls and 1 boy (darker chipmunk is a boy). even the last yellow chick looks more like girl to me.

3 coloured chipmunk is a girl. 2 coloured chipmunk is a boy. that is a rule.

red on the wings does not necessarily mean it is a boy. mixed colours can really be mixed.

Excellent news. That gives me hope and I miss going up to the run in just a bit to look at these chicks again...now that I’m equipped with even more knowledge! As @WVduckchick knows, I’ve already gotten down in the dumps about this.

What are y’all’s thoughts on this little one? It is such a fascinating color and a sweet bird. I so hope it’s a pullet.

The coloring and pattern on its head is very interesting.

 

[chickengr]

You know what? That is so good to hear! This morning when I was sitting with my babies, they were all perched along my stretched out legs, they looked so absolutely adorable and then they would get up and I’d see their dang feet again. All that cuteness disappeared as those enormously ugly big old feet were revealed.

As I hold each chick, I keep telling them to please, please be a little pullet. But I’m afraid I’m wasting my breath. However, when I’m looking at them of course I’m comparing their combs and they’re all large. But then again, I’m comparing peaches to pecans because these are all mixed birds. My two chicks from the EE still have very small combs, only because they have pea combs. That’s a guess on the comb type.

Oh well, time will tell!

Excellent news. That gives me hope and I miss going up to the run in just a bit to look at these chicks again...now that I’m equipped with even more knowledge! As @WVduckchick knows, I’ve already gotten down in the dumps about this.

What are y’all’s thoughts on this little one? It is such a fascinating color and a sweet bird. I so hope it’s a pullet.

The coloring and pattern on its head is very interesting.

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hard to see from the pic but I do hope it is a floppy combed pullet.

 

[Mimi13]

Yesterday I really thought I had stepped in the proverbial pile of poop. It was the day I moved my 8 little 2 week old chicks to the coop. It was a bittersweet move as these were truly MY babies. Several times during the day and always at bedtime I let the little boogers out of their pen (in my carpeted spare bedroom). They would fly and run around stretching their wings and legs, but cleaning up after them was getting a bit harder, not to mention they needed that much room all the time now.

I already had their area set up under the poop board, I just had to move them and their heat plate. The move went smoothly and, of course, I piled in there with them. I mean, after all, I am their momma. Trust me, we were definitely bonded. Once in their new digs all they wanted to do was dust bathe in that deep sand. Oh my word, sand was flying everywhere. See the dust cloud in the first picture?

I guess they had been in there about 5 minutes when the broody heard them. She came rushing in the coop, leaving her own 3 chicks outside in the run. She was very unsettled, pacing back and forth and tidbitting for the chicks. She did this several times over the course of about 10 minutes. I grew curious as to what she would do with them so I opened the fencing and called her in there with us (me and the chicks.) I was amazed! It was clearly evident she wanted to mother these chicks. They are only one week younger than her three and not much different in size. She was doing her best to pick up and drop things for them to eat, and even though the chicks had never been around a momma hen, there was no mistaking them instinctively going for the goods.

Now for my huge, huge pile of poop scare. As she was dropping things for them, some of the chicks began attacking her comb and wattles. These little heathens I had raised were going ape s#!t over those floppy red things. I stopped them and as soon as she would drop her head, here they’d go again. <looks of horror> They had never seen such things as a red comb and wattle before. All I could think of was getting her out of there before those wild, human-raised chicks made her turn away from her own three ‘angels.’ Really, I thought I had “gone and done it” for sure this time!

After letting her out it didn’t take her long to come back...with all three of her little ones in tow. Do you think she wanted to or would have mixed them all?

While in the coop, it didn’t take her long to begin looking upwards, like she wanted to now take her chicks up to the nesting box roosts. She had all three of them up there at one point.

Those sweet little things looking up to their momma.

I plan on leaving the new chicks behind the netting for a week and then opening up the bottom part so only they can come and go. I have a feeling it won’t be a long transition period once those little ones get out and mix with the other three that “have been there, done that, and pooped on that!”

 

[aart]

Great Story, Well Told!!
What did she do when chicks were pecking her comb?
This is not unusual behavior, even broody chick peck a mama's comb/wattles/eyes.
I'd give it another try.

 

[Mimi13]

Great Story, Well Told!!
What did she do when chicks were pecking her comb?
I'd give it another try.

Their incessant pecking didn’t seem to phase her, but it scared the s#!+ out of me. I had never seen any of her chicks do such. My 8 were acting like wild idiots.

When you say to give it another try, would you put the broody and her 3 in with the little ones? Later this afternoon after the girls have all laid, I can close the pop door and let them all mingle in the coop. But after they mingle, will I separate the little chicks to go back to their pen? Or, let them follow the broody into the run?

 

[aart]

But after they mingle, will I separate the little chicks to go back to their pen? Or, let them follow the broody into the run?

Play it by ear/eye.
The broody is sleeping in the run?
She might settle in the coop brooder area with them all.