Jackie's Great Adventure, 1st time hatching eggs Ongoing post here!

[mrandmrschicken]

Congrats on the new baby! What a cool suprise that must have been. Please post some pics.

 

[Maryallison77]

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more exciting......another chick!!!! WOOHOO! Don't think it has been out long. It wasn't there a few hours ago and now.... I think it is #4, but I didn't check the shell.

This is soooooo eggciting!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
Hooray & congratulations to Jackie & to you! Now the fun will really begin, watching Jackie tend to her brood.

Of the hens I mentioned, the 3 Mamas still have all their chicks, they're getting bigger & more feathery and still stick close to their Mamas. One of the 3 broodies was killed by a 'possum who got into her nest box one night (but I got the 'possum) but the other two are doing well. Tonight before shutting everyone in for the evening I checked the eggs under one hen and noticed 2 eggs were pipped. We held one of them up to our ears & heard the chick pecking & peeping. So there could be 4 new chicks in her nest by morning! The other hen's eggs are due to hatch Sat or Sun.

One of the hens laying behind the duck house finally got the signal to set, and I put 4 standard eggs under her once she got settled. The other day I noticed this hen taking an unusually long break off her nest, and going around taking dust baths in several different places. Then I noticed another one of the broodies doing the same thing. I got suspicious & looked closely under their feathers & found lots of mites -- yuck! And aww, poor girls! Who wants to set when you're all itchy? Often I'll put Sevin Dust around a broody's nest to keep the fire ants away, but this is the first time I had broodies with mites.

I dusted them with 5% Sevin Dust, and also around their nests. That night my boys helped me dust every other chicken in the flock, and today I took out all the straw in the coops & nest boxes, dusted the floors & pens with Sevin Dust & also DE, and put in new straw. And burned the old straw. Hopefully everyone will be feeling better now!

 

[Maryallison77]

I hope your girls are feeling better now too Sunny!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Thank you! And with all the Sevin Dust that settled on me while treating my chickens, I myself should be free of mites for a long, long time!

 

[Maryallison77]

Just adding a few pics of Jackie (black Bantam) and the other hens that went broody and decided to "help" Jackie hatch out the eggs!

 

[Maryallison77]

Here's the new baby that hatched today!

(see the baby under mama's wing???


I have 1 more chick now, but it was born after dark. More pics soon!

 

[erin0415]

Silly mommas...all stuffed in the box together. Congrats on your babies!!! What a pretty chick. Maybe you will have more surprises in the morning!!

 

[mrandmrschicken]

MaryAllison;
Those are great picks of all three girls helping or wanting sole rights of ownership! Do they ever squabble? I'm down to a couple of days for mine in the bator and I can't wait.

 

[Maryallison77]

Hi there mrandmrschicken

! They only squabble when I move them and take the eggs from them--haha

Now I have Jackie and her new chicks in there own safe area. The little chicks stick close to mama. It is very cute to watch. I did have 4 eggs that did not hatch.... The eggs are on day 22 now. At what point do I remove them?