Introducing myself.

[trailrider330]

A belated welcome to the BYC flock! I am glad you are joining us!

You asked a few questions in your most recent post. What other predators are present in your area? In the states we also contend with coyote, raccoon, opossum, weasels, rats, stray dogs, and in some areas cougar and bear. The MO sounds a bit like a raccoon, but I am not sure you even have them in the UK.

Are you talking about putting the chicks that are currently in the incubator under Sophia? If they are day-olds when you place them, you can certainly try, but be prepared to intervene if she is not willing to accept them. You may need to just use a brooder with a heat lamp or use the mama heating pad method instead.

Good luck!

 

[kymmandco]

Thanks for replying.
We don't really have many predators around here.
There are 2 urban foxes that roam the area, they actually lived in my composter 2 winters ago, lol. Just a couple of meters from my rabbits but they never bothered them, just wanting a warm dry bed I guess, they did see off the poor hedgehog that hibernated in there previously, but we saw her and 3 babies last spring under the hedge so I'm thinking the foxes are happy feeding from peoples trash.

The only other real possibility is cats. They don't usually come in my garden anymore since I got my 2 Border Collies last year.
Unfortunately they were at my mother's with my little boy that night though. A series of unfortunate events!!!
I was introducing the chicks to their new coop, but they were reluctant to move in, so I left both coops open hoping they would vacate their now very overcrowded coop into the new one.
That evening we went to mother's for tea before the chicks went in to roost, came home late minus my son and 2 dogs, checked on the chicks quickly (they were all in the old coop).
Next morning I got up late, having no dogs or small children to tend to, put on the kettle and headed out to let the chickens out, forgetting I neglected to lock them in and just saw either Romeo or Uniform stuck in the fence (they were both very white whereas Marlon and Foxtrot were more grey but having no head it was hard to identify which roo was hanging I'm guessing Romeo as I didn't find Uniforms pink collar. Romeo got his off twice and I didn't put it back on yet. Being squeamish didn't want to look too closely (I know I should have, and regret it now).

There were feathers EVERYWHERE!
I searched all over the garden, all 3 coops (the 3 sitting broodies were locked in and safe and Charlie our only surviving pullet in the new coop, if only the others had followed her more would have been saved. I then called my older daughter and her friend down to help search the neighbourhood and younger daughter to care for a very tattered and frightened little chick.
I then followed a feather trail out through the hedge into some garages.

Little feathers here and there, some leading into a couple of gardens. I knocked on both doors but it was still early (about 8-8:30am) and got no reply. My children's dad tried again later and managed to get into the gardens but only found poor Charlotte, who crawled under some weeds, scratched herself a little ditch and died of fright. The chicks were much younger and faster so I assume they just carried on, they could have got far by now.
I heard a cock crow while out searching, but couldn't determine the direction, when I got home my younger daughter said she heard it too so it wasn't my imagination that time, but not so sure for the rest of the day. I'm still hearing my little peeps everywhere I go, and keep seeing them every time something white catches my eye. A bit if paper, plastic bag etc.
Getting up at 5am just to listen for their first crows. I did hear a distant crow 3 days ago at around 8am, maybe it was one of my boys, I really hope they made it and are safe somewhere. Would love it if even one came home safe now, but don't think that's going to happen now.

Here's what I think/hope happened...
Roos crowing and out at sun up, dogs not home, fox/cat thinks dinner time, Romeo sticks his head out of his enclosure, fox/cat grabs and pulls through removing head and causing the enclosure to open up like a tin of sardines. Fox/cat runs in, feathers fly as chicks burst out, Marlon caught under the willow tree (I found his collar and a bunch of feathers under there, but no blood so he could have made it. The rest got out under the hedge, across the garages and into 2 gardens opposite, hopefully meeting up before continuing onward to their new home.
Poor Charlotte being older and slower got left behind, dug herself in and went to sleep, but didn't wake up.

Charlie probably ran straight into the other open coop and hid until I found her all scared and alone, poor thing, but she's safe and loved and will soon get new little friends to play with. She did get in the nest with Isabella for a couple of hours that I've seen and maybe with Venus who she's sharing the big coop with now. Sophia and Isabella are still in their own. I had to remove Venus for her own safety as the other 2 don't like her. I had both coops open towards each other but Isabella and Sophia stopped coming out until I turned them back round. I just make sure everything is locked up when I am not around. They only come out for 20 mins each day anyway, so locking them away isn't cruel and there's plenty of space in there, food, water etc. so they'll be good even if I'm not around. Their nurseries are much smaller. I'm using the dogs' kennels with a mesh fence on them. By the time their eggs hatch I'll have a new safer enclosure built so they can be left to roam again but sectioned off away from each other to protect the chicks. If they integrate quickly then they can roam together again, but I have to cover all bases especially with Venus and her chicks.
Isabella and Sophia are inseparable and can be ever so nasty to the others (well Sophia can. Isabella is a lovely girl but with Sophia around no-one else can get close to her).

Anyway, I sleep better thinking my 7 babies are out there somewhere, warm, safe and loved and still hope word will get around I'm still looking for them and get them back.

Now for question #2 and yes I have many more...
Will Sophia except day old chicks and/or ready to hatch eggs even if she's only been sitting 9 days (will be 10-12 days once they all hatch). The last hatch Isabella and Venus only sat for 14 days, getting 7 day incubated, guaranteed fertile eggs, so hopefully this will work. I was more worried if the eggs hatched earlier (Bantam eggs can hatch day 18-19)

The first was due Sunday (now on day 23). I water candled again a few hours ago, very slight bobbing, still no pipping and no vocal, inner pipping possible as there is a breach in the air sack and a visible vein so I'm guessing blood and yolk not yet absorbed. If no pipping or peeping by the time my God-daughters leave today, I'm going to try to intervene (I practiced skinning a store bought egg boiled for 1 minute and the inner membrane only ruptured when I got cocky. Will be more careful with a baby inside).
The second is due today and 3 on Thursday which are the 4 put aside for my God-daughters (1 from each hen).

I have the girls 8am-4pm today and tomorrow and as you can imagine they're devastated about the chicks and Charlotte, so these first eggs will be their replacements as promised (1 egg from each adult hen) and hopefully Sophia to look after them, (should have been Charlotte as splitting Sophia from Isabella seems cruel somehow but now necessary for a short time at least).
Hand rearing for 6 weeks just isn't an option unless for just 1-2 chicks we have 5 due plus any that need intervention from under Venus and Isabella.
At least having a spare broody will make playing musical eggs a little easier.

Kids back at school and college and I work from home, but know I'll get nothing done if playing with chicks all day long. Besides, I have loads of catching up to do since the children have been off school for over 6 weeks (back to school on Thursday, college next Tuesday). I love it when they're home, but need a break from them now. Everything's a mess and can't clean around them.
Give me a week and all will be in order, not that it ever was in the first place, lol.

I also have some good news.
Charlotte left us an egg and it's fertile (YAY!!!).
Not sure it will make it though (BOO!!!), it's in lockdown with 65-70% humidity so very little air sack but great veins and active chick at just 5 days when candled, now 7 days.
I'm going to reduce the humidity to 25%/dry gradually for the remaining term after the other chicks have hatched/gone too far past due.

This is a miracle egg, Charlotte was going broody, sat all day, but roosted at night, she hadn't laid for 4 days and then this in the box in her place the day she died. If s/he makes it we're calling it Legacy so Charlotte will have left something good behind.

How excited was I when this miracle egg turned out to be a good one.
I just wish I gave it a better start in life. Getting the humidity down will hopefully dry up any moisture in the egg and increase the air sack. It's early days, so everything should turn out good. FINGERS CROSSED!

I'll keep you up to date with hatchings, and how everything goes with the surrogacy etc.
Looking forward to any replies.
Thanks again.
Kymm.