I'm going on an adventure!

[RoseHawke]

Pippin (tentatively), is the lone survivor from a batch of 14 shipped eggs. My trials and tribulations are in the June, 2025 Hatch-a-long. Long story short, the Hova-bator 1602N incubator I used would not keep a stable temperature. In retrospect I think I might have gotten a 50% hatch if the incubator had cooperated.

Pippin is from an egg produced on a Georgia Farm whose owner specializes in exhibition quality cochins. I just particularly like the look of these birds but didn't want the drive which is why I chose the shipping gamble. Next time we'll make the drive!

One lone chick is not a good thing. I've found out from my reading that it is possible to raise a singleton with dedication, and while I would love to just have it in a little brooder at my computer so I could socialize with her, we have six indoor cats and that's just not feasible.

It was a long shot as we're getting late in the season, but I recalled that the last time we went to Tractor Supply for feed that they still had chicks and among them had "Assorted Bantams".

We were there only 15 minutes or so after they opened. Score! They still had chicks, and they did have bantams. I asked the clerk if any of them were feather-footed and he didn't know, you really can't see them from outside the cage, so I just told him to grab four (they have a four chick minimum,) and that would be fine. I did decline one that looked like it might end up blue as s/he had a bit of pasty butt starting and I didn't want to deal with that.

I didn't even look at them until I got them home and lifted out of the box to put with Pip. Two yellows and two chipmunks. The yellows have fuzzy feet. Score! Won't know for a while if they're white or buff or something else. Who knows what the clean-legged chipmunks are. Innumerable chicken breeds, including bantams, have chipmunk chicks. They may be OEGB in which case they'll probably ultimately be going to new homes (assuming they thrive,) as I'm not really all that fond of games.

Pip doesn't really know what to make of the new kids as even though they're quite young, they're still at my guess 3-5 days, maybe as much as a week old so quite a bit larger than 1.5 day old Pip.

In any case, everyone has figured out their food and water and now calm prevails as all five are cuddled up under the brooder plate.

 

[GodLovesU]

What cuties!

 

[RoseHawke]

This came yesterday, and I am officially in love . After the absolutely constant tinkering and watching the Hova-bator had, (I now know why they called it a Hova-bator - you have to hover over it all the time,) it's absolutely mind blowing that you can almost literally "set it and forget it."

 

[RoseHawke]

I've mentioned elsewhere how Pip was not doing well his first week or two after getting tumbled and stomped on by the other "Bantam" chicks, he was so much smaller.

I separated him (or her, I'm hopeful, even though their comb is starting to redden,) out along with what was then the smaller of the two definitely Bantam buff cochins. He had clicky breathing, a tendency to stare into space, and was just not very active prior. Not knowing what else to do and thinking there might be an infection there contributing to the breathing issue, I mixed the only antibiotic I could lay my hands on without a prescription (doxycycline hyclate - API Fin & Body Cure) into their water. Having buddy Falco on the anti-biotic as well wasn't ideal, but I had enough trouble figuring out the dosage for the water without trying to figure out an individual dose for a 30g chick! Math is not my forte.

He's doing much better, pretty much normal really although small. Preening, kicking bedding around "foraging", standing on one foot scratching, standing up to Falco when Falco rears up at him, eating and drinking as normal, pretty much normal poos despite the antibiotic. He's gaining a steady 8-10 grams a day (I've been weighing him every other day.) Today is the last day I'm giving the antibiotic after 10 days, tomorrow I'm starting them on the Rooster Booster probiotic and vitamins for a while. He's up to 121g and starting to feather out. Falco's ahead of him, but I suspect Falco is a week or so older (TSC purchase.)

It's interesting the difference between a hatchery bird and one from exhibition stock. Falco is much leggier than Pippin, and even at this stage his feathers are not quite as soft looking. It's difficult to get a good photo of him, as I said he rips around like a mad thing, and I had to take him out of the bin to get a photo of Pip because Pip will hide behind him, or Falco puts himself between my hand and Pip, sometimes it's hard to tell.

Pip's about 4.5 weeks or so at this point, Falco may be a week or so older.

 

[RoseHawke]

Well, the Terrible Trio have moved out to a transition pen in with the big girls. It's just a cheapie little "pet pen" that I bought from Amazon. I got it on Prime Day because I sure as heck wouldn't have paid what they ask for it ordinarily, but I needed something that could be easily knocked down for storage without me having to build anything. The "OEGB's" are little terrors, I almost couldn't catch them just in the little pop-up pet enclosure and when I did they screamed bloody murder. "Buffy" is loads calmer.

I've got two identical pet carriers (we had two Maine Coons at one time and these were their carriers,) and spent most of the morning after moving them putting hardware cloth on the door and windows of the other carrier. I'm confident that the run is pretty much predator proof for the most part, but I'm not absolutely sure that it's snake proof and we have seen a good-sized black racer around recently. It wouldn't bother the big girls, but half-grown chicks are another kettle of fish.

I'm going to keep that pet carrier as their "coop" until they graduate to the big pen, which may be sooner rather than later. After I finished the HC install on the additional carrier and carried it out to switch them out somebody among the big girls had managed to overturn the carrier, which is a possibility I hadn't considered, so all three chicks were running around the big pen. The big girls were pretty much ignoring them thankfully although I really wish I'd been there to see how everyone took this sudden chick invasion. I don't want them intermingling yet though, so we caught them up and stuck them back in the pen with the newly fortified carrier. And a paving stone on top to weight it down and hopefully prevent any more overturning shenanigans.

Meanwhile . . .

Falco and Pippin have been moved from the bin in the Master Bathroom which was desperately becoming too small for Falco the crazy boy, to what was the Terrible Trio habitat out in the shop annex. Falco seems to approve, and Pip can scratch to his heart's content because there is so much bedding to scratch through, especially where the trio had scattered food everywhere.

I had two cameras in their bin, it looks like I'm going to have to do that here as well, it seems their favorite spot is right next to the post I've mounted this wired camera to. Fortunately, the other one is wireless.

 

[RoseHawke]

I got the "coop" and chick pen sorted today so that I can easily get into it to service feed and water, and most importantly, so that i can close the carrier without going through contortions. Last evening was an adventure (truly) as I had to herd the trio in with the scary red stick (net handle, net usually used for guiding rather than actually netting,) poked under the edge. They're starting to look on the carrier as a safe space and spending some time in there. Hopefully chicken-putting-up-time won't be quite so adventurous this evening.

 

[RoseHawke]

Well, Falco and Helena (née Buffy) got swapped out today. While Falco wasn't bullying Pippin, he was dominating him and letting him know who was boss rather more often than I'd like. Helena is smaller, and calmer as a pullet, closer to Pippin in size, and Falco would be in the cage with the two standard pullets that are a fair bit bigger than he is. I hoped that being larger, and two against one, they'd put Falco in his place before he turned into the bully terror he's shown signs of becoming.

I didn't watch their initial interaction, but I did Pip and Helena. Besides still being a bit smaller than the other, Pip immediately gave Helena a few pecks and pulled the feathers on her head. Helena did what we call a "hawk freeze", a submissive gesture. I was very gratified to see Pip assert himself. After another few minutes they were scratching together (or at least at the same time in the same place if not exactly "together",) and investigating each other's "finds" to see if it was any good. Overall, it seems much more peaceful and hopefully the two Queens, Cinnamon and Queen, will calm down mad thing Falco.

 

[RoseHawke]

I've re-named the two Queens "Victoria" and "Elizabeth." It's only logical .

EDIT: In another thread: Breed/Color/Gender Guesses? , we'd pretty much verified that the two "bantams" are actually Cinnamon Queen pullets. TSC strikes again!

 

[Folly's place]

Love your reports here!
I too have had bad incubator experiences, two different inexpensive incubators, neither the one you had. Maybe Brinsea if I try again, let us know how yours does.
Mary

 

[RoseHawke]

Love your reports here!
I too have had bad incubator experiences, two different inexpensive incubators, neither the one you had. Maybe Brinsea if I try again, let us know how yours does.
Mary

Thank you! I hope by having everything mostly in one place I can keep up with it and have a good record of the Chicken Adventure II (my original flock fell prey to stray dogs about 4 years ago.)

EDIT: (I'm bad about remembering something after I hit the "post" button.) It'll probably be next spring before I use the Brinsea, I have to pick a time when Mr. RoseHawke is less likely to notice .