Meet Broody Buffy - CHICKS are hatching! Pictures!

[BLaBauve]

She has 4 pips now! Some are big holes! The membranes seems to be tinged with blood, I've never seen this using an incubator - the membranes all stay pretty white. I'm going to trust that nature is doing it's work here. I'm also NOT going to mess with her again until morning - even though that is SO hard to do. She has 9 eggs under her, and 6 looked good the other day. I would be shocked if all 6 hatched! The temperature is hot here, but the humidity stays around 50 at night. I guess I'll know more in the morning!

 

[BLaBauve]

Not the best picture... my boyfriend took it with his camera phone earlier today, around 4 pm EST when he noticed the first 2 pips. She is sitting on Ameraucana eggs. The pips are much bigger holes now!

 

[gryeyes]

HOW eggsciting! I didn't get to observe that stage of my Buffy's hatch. In the morning when I felt for the eggs, I *thought* I felt one move, but put it down to my imagination. But at 6 PM, there was the GrandChick!

(I saved the eggshell from which it hatched. Pretty silly, huh?)

I was terribly afraid she'd kill the chick. She was segregated in the A-Frame coop, and while she got a visitor or two at various times during the day(s) before the egg hatched, I locked that coop up for the first 3 days, just checking the upstairs through the side hatch. On day 4 post-hatch, I started opening it up again. She didn't bring GrandChick out of the coop until it was 9 days old. She's now moved downstairs, no longer sitting in the nestbox upstairs. I think that's due to the long ramp she has to talk the chick up and down...... She has not returned to the Big Coop where she roosted before she got broody. She's taking very good care of our chick *ahem* down there, taking it outside for a couple of hours a day. She puffs up around the other ladies, when they get close, but none of them have acted aggressively towards the chick. Whew!

So we gotta see what transpires with your GrandChicks!

 

[BLaBauve]

I hope my Buffy is a good Mom like yours. She's hatching her eggs in the big coop with the other girls. Sadly, Buffy is normally the bottom of the pecking order. But as of late she's been pretty daring - and attacks the 4 new pullets that have moved in while she was broody. On her lunch breaks she chases them as much as she can. I have a wire rabbit cage top in front of her nest box to keep the other hens from getting too close. I'm not sure yet if I'll need to seperate her and the chicks completely, I hope not.

 

[Siler]

Quote:
I haven't laughed this hard in a while! Thanks for the laugh. I'm frothing at the mouth waiting to hear more about your new momma and her adopted hatchlings.

 

[BLaBauve]

There was a chick in her armpit this morning!!! It's so cute!! That means she didn't kill it - she is a good mom! I will upload pictures when i get home from work. She sticks her own head under her armpit to talk to it! Still waiting to see the other babies appear! This is way better than incubating!

 

[gryeyes]

I believe the correct term is "wingpit."

That "talking to the chick" head tuck was pretty interesting to me, too. Wait until the chick GETS ON HER BACK! GrandChick is always wanting to do that, still, at almost 2 weeks old, and is sometimes successful when my Buffy settles down for a rest. Unfortunately, she's chosen to nest in the dark, cool(er) space on the ground in the A-Frame coop, where I cannot get a picture. (It's hard enough to belly-crawl halfway through the coop door to see them when she's back there.) And then when she brings out the chick, talking to it the entire time, oh, that's so special to watch! I haven't seen her head anywhere in a straight line at any speed since she became a mother!

 

[BLaBauve]

OK, here is what I saw this morning... my first "grandchick"!!

I got home this afternoon and I see 4 out!! I am headed out now to take pictures! This has been an amazing experience!

 

[BLaBauve]

I only got 3 chicks in the picture, but I think there is at least 1 more under her. I can tell she is even more protective now. I did get Mom to drink some water, but she was a little weird about the camera. I guess I'll go give them some starter!

 

[BLaBauve]

OK, I candled the eggs a few days ago and though only 6 of the 9 eggs were worth anything. BUT, I left the 3 "duds" in anyways. When I got home and saw 4 chicks, I wasn't sure if I'd get any more than that. Well we are on number 8 now!! I think Buffy may be getting a little concerned though!! She is being pretty sweet, I'm able to pick the chicks up if I want to, and some are learning how to eat.

Now, here are lots of pictures!! Most of the chicks are still under her because they are newly hatched. She hasn't stepped on any yet - keeping my fingers crossed!