***JULY HATCH-A-LONG come join in***

[amysflock]

Sweet! Congratulations, guys!

Will someone remind me how long a new chick can "eat" from its absorbed yolk before it needs to come out and eat solid food? I had one hatch yesterday and one this a.m., but they're under mamas and the mamas are still sitting on eggs (and, I'm thinking, not very likely to leave the nest to eat and drink, right?).

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
3 days

 

[Kedreeva]

I would say closer to 48 hours for the yolk nutrition. They may not DIE exactly at the stroke of midnight that brings day three, but if you have the ability to feed them sooner you probably should. Mine are ravenous as soon as they can get on their feet, it seems, and that's just a couple hours after hatching.

 

[Cattitude]

Yes, I make sure starter crumbles and water is handy, and that they have a hard time drowning themselves. Usually they start eating as soon as their legs can carry them semi-reliably. Hope the rest of your hatch goes well.

 

[amysflock]

Thanks! I ran home at lunch to check, and now I have 3. A new little black one (out of either a BLRW hen or BSLxBA mom) hatched sometime this morning and is mostly dry.

The oldest chick, from yesterday, is absolutely mobile and looks a little bored (probably hungry). I will make sure to pull it and introduce it to food and water when I get home from work tonight (in just a few hours). The chick doesn't appear to have left the nest box yet, but they are a couple of inches above the ground with a lip the baby would have to get over to get out of the nest, then the food and water is another two feet away from that. Is that too far?

 

[Rin]

When I get off work I really should put the chicks so far in the brooder. I'm on lunch now and caught one of them eating the yolky remnants out of one of their shells. Yes. Straight up eating it and afterward they even "flew" (flapping lil wingers) across the brooder to get to someone elses.

 

[amysflock]

Yuck! How old are your chicks now, Rin?

 

[StormyMoon]

Mom hen started crushing starter food into powder for baby chicks and pushing them around so they would see her eating and all 4 are eating on their own now.

 

[amysflock]

Wow, what a smart mama you have, StormyMoon!

I just got home from work and there are still only 3 babies in the nest box. I put Mama outside the box (she ate a little and pooped a huge, nasty poop), and tried to get the older chick to drink, but it didn't seem to want to. Wasn't interested in the chick food, either, although Mama took a couple bites. She's got 1 egg under her, and the BLRW has the other 4. The black chick has a rusty-colored head so looks like a BLRW baby, although it's got a BOxRIR dad, LOL.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
I'm not really sure. Does the age counter start from the moment they pip or after they have been completely removed from the egg? They are in the brooder now peeping like mad. Technically all three were "removed from the egg" throughout today I noticed while removing them and their shells that I have three more zips - hopefully these three will be out by tomorrow. One of them pipped yesterday but since they zipped some I decided not to help. But lord does it ever stink in there.