INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Cynthia12]

Ok, have to ask, what is the spoon for anyway? She must have a reasonable toddler explanation!

Too cute.

 

[mlm Mike]

O.K.
Officially confused again.
Just checked the broody again for possible chicks. Only 3 eggs in the nest now; 4 a couple days ago. Half of an empty shell near the nest..no sign of recent occupation; broody in the adjacent nest box. One egg dated 6/17, one 6/18, one unmarked, meaning it's older than the other two, possibly by a couple days (got lax with my dating after 3-4 days

), but all 3 remaining eggs are due, like NOW!

I may have been the cause of the broody being off the nest, but not out of the coop eating, drinking, or pooping. The juvies had been loose in their adjacent run most of the day, and one had managed to find its way into the adults' yard, again. I locked the adults into their run while I chased down the escape artist. All the commotion stirred up the adults, who all tried to get through their pop door and into the coop at once, They may have spooked the broody off the nest; no way to tell.


UPDATE
Mystery partially solved. Went to see where broody was. She's still in the next-door nest. I made the executive decision to pull the 3 eggs she'd been brooding, candle them, & stick them in the still-active 'bator in case she didn't resume setting. One's pretty porous and appears to be infertile; no movement seen in the other two. The surprise was that while I had the top open, removing the 3 "abandoned" eggs, I tried to touch the broody; she still had her "don't-screw-with-me" game face on. I soon found out why; I spotted a little fuzzy yellow head poking out from under her! First natural-born chick here, ever! Hard to believe that Momma actually moved an egg around a full partition between nest boxes, or that she hadn't kicked out a clear egg. She must have been there a couple hours; chick's totally dry. Now we'll see how well she does raising & protecting a chick in a run full of adults.

Congratulations!

Hey all

Hi Chicken Hawk

 

[BullChick]

Ok, have to ask, what is the spoon for anyway? She must have a reasonable toddler explanation!

Too cute.

She may have wanted an excuse to eat lunch with her hands, so she hid the spoon. Or, I teach her some odd things that I think every child should know. Like how to feed your ear and eye. Sometimes her bellybutton... Today I was sticking golf balls in her swimsuit. Maybe that triggered it.

 

[chicken hawk 33]

   Congratulations! 

Hi Chicken Hawk

hi how are you

 

[BullChick]

Dear fellow hatchaholics.
Today is day 18 (or 19) and 12 for my broody girls. As you have read, all eggs were undeveloped and rotten. The reason is unclear. I have had great hatches in the incubator with these eggs.
I do not want more birds, and I was only doing this because I have wanted a broody this year so bad. "Watch what you wish for. You just might get it!"
I would have sold the chicks.
That being said, I still have two girls that are laying flat as pancakes tonight. Should I:

Give them fresh eggs, and let them brood another three weeks?

Give them a few day-olds from someone else, only taking and keeping four?

Break the brood?

Give them a goat?

 

[DuckGirl77]

O.K.
Officially confused again.
Just checked the broody again for possible chicks. Only 3 eggs in the nest now; 4 a couple days ago. Half of an empty shell near the nest..no sign of recent occupation; broody in the adjacent nest box. One egg dated 6/17, one 6/18, one unmarked, meaning it's older than the other two, possibly by a couple days (got lax with my dating after 3-4 days

), but all 3 remaining eggs are due, like NOW!

I may have been the cause of the broody being off the nest, but not out of the coop eating, drinking, or pooping. The juvies had been loose in their adjacent run most of the day, and one had managed to find its way into the adults' yard, again. I locked the adults into their run while I chased down the escape artist. All the commotion stirred up the adults, who all tried to get through their pop door and into the coop at once, They may have spooked the broody off the nest; no way to tell.


UPDATE
Mystery partially solved. Went to see where broody was. She's still in the next-door nest. I made the executive decision to pull the 3 eggs she'd been brooding, candle them, & stick them in the still-active 'bator in case she didn't resume setting. One's pretty porous and appears to be infertile; no movement seen in the other two. The surprise was that while I had the top open, removing the 3 "abandoned" eggs, I tried to touch the broody; she still had her "don't-screw-with-me" game face on. I soon found out why; I spotted a little fuzzy yellow head poking out from under her! First natural-born chick here, ever! Hard to believe that Momma actually moved an egg around a full partition between nest boxes, or that she hadn't kicked out a clear egg. She must have been there a couple hours; chick's totally dry. Now we'll see how well she does raising & protecting a chick in a run full of adults.

Congrats!!!

One thing to keep in mind that I didn't know until I had multiple setters in the same building. They will steal eggs from each other when one is taking their daily break.

They go into the vacant nest and tuck eggs under their wings and carry them back to their nest.

Wow, really? That's weird ..... and amazing!

Yes, Duckling was just moving eggs under her wings today.

ROFL!

Hey all

Hey, what's up?

 

[mlm Mike]

Quote: Good, how have you been?

Dear fellow hatchaholics.
Today is day 18 (or 19) and 12 for my broody girls. As you have read, all eggs were undeveloped and rotten. The reason is unclear. I have had great hatches in the incubator with these eggs.
I do not want more birds, and I was only doing this because I have wanted a broody this year so bad. "Watch what you wish for. You just might get it!"
I would have sold the chicks.
That being said, I still have two girls that are laying flat as pancakes tonight. Should I:

Give them fresh eggs, and let them brood another three weeks?

Give them a few day-olds from someone else, only taking and keeping four?

Break the brood?

Give them a goat?

Give them a goat!

 

[BullChick]

Good, how have you been?

Give them a goat!

I have a clean pen right now... How much space does a Pygmy need? Oh! Two broodies! How much space do seven pygmies need?

 

[Chaos18]

O.K.
Officially confused again.
Just checked the broody again for possible chicks. Only 3 eggs in the nest now;  4 a couple days ago. Half of an empty shell near the nest..no sign of recent occupation; broody in the adjacent nest box. One egg dated 6/17, one 6/18, one unmarked, meaning it's older than the other two, possibly by a couple days (got lax with my dating after 3-4 days   ), but all 3 remaining eggs are due, like NOW!

I may have been the cause of the broody being off the nest, but not out of the coop eating, drinking, or pooping. The juvies had been loose in their adjacent run most of the day, and one had managed to find its way into the adults' yard, again. I locked the adults into their run while I chased down the escape artist. All the commotion stirred up the adults, who all tried to get through their pop door and into the coop at once, They may have spooked the broody off the nest; no way to tell.


UPDATE
Mystery partially solved. Went to see where broody was. She's still in the next-door nest. I made the executive decision to pull the 3 eggs she'd been brooding, candle them, & stick them in the still-active 'bator in case she didn't resume setting. One's pretty porous and appears to be infertile; no movement seen in the other two. The surprise was that while I had the top open, removing the 3 "abandoned" eggs, I tried to touch the broody; she still had her "don't-screw-with-me" game face on. I soon found out why; I spotted a little fuzzy yellow head poking out from under her! First natural-born chick here, ever!  Hard to believe that Momma actually moved an egg around a full partition between nest boxes, or that she hadn't kicked out a clear egg. She must have been there a couple hours; chick's totally dry.  Now we'll see how well she does raising & protecting a chick in a run full of adults.

Congrats on the chick. Hopefully she's a good momma.

She may have wanted an excuse to eat lunch with her hands, so she hid the spoon. Or, I teach her some odd things that I think every child should know. Like how to feed your ear and eye. Sometimes her bellybutton... Today I was sticking golf balls in her swimsuit. Maybe that triggered it.

Monkey finds it funny to stick things down her clothes.

 

[Chaos18]

Dear fellow hatchaholics.
     Today is day 18 (or 19) and 12 for my broody girls. As you have read, all eggs were undeveloped and rotten. The reason is unclear. I have had great hatches in the incubator with these eggs.
I do not want more birds, and I was only doing this because I have wanted a broody this year so bad. "Watch what you wish for. You just might get it!"
I would have sold the chicks.
That being said, I still have two girls that are laying flat as pancakes tonight. Should I:

Give them fresh eggs, and let them brood another three weeks?

Give them a few day-olds from someone else, only taking and keeping four?

Break the brood?

Give them a goat?

Give the one further along a goat and let the other one sit on some older eggs.