MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

Just checking in to see how the hatch is progressing. So sorry things don't seem to be going well but don't give up hope just yet. I had chicks hatching well past their due date. Not sure what's happening in S.A but we are in the middle of a heat wave & if you're experiencing that I would be more concerned about that than the chicks hatching late.

It's been chilly down here and rainy. No doubt it's a factor.

 

[MaryJanet]

Just checking in to see how the hatch is progressing. So sorry things don't seem to be going well but don't give up hope just yet. I had chicks hatching well past their due date. Not sure what's happening in S.A but we are in the middle of a heat wave & if you're experiencing that I would be more concerned about that than the chicks hatching late.

I'd be less worried if it were Ivy on the eggs. She's two years younger.

In future, I'll aim to get hens hatching before they get too old, even if it means more than two clutches in the years the flock is due for expansion.

Mary sitting at such an age is because she was in the first pair of hens and my learning about chickens was only just beginning back then.

 

[Perris]

How old is Mary? Maria here is 7, broods still, and has a 13 week old daughter at the moment.

 

[MaryJanet]

How old is Mary? Maria here is 7, broods still, and has a 13 week old daughter at the moment.

7 and she's going on suprelorin once this sit has concluded.

 

[BDutch]

Sorry I can’t advise you either about the best strategy with young chicks.
Day 23 is a real possibility nothing will hatch with bantam eggs imo.

Just a few thoughts from someone who knows not enough to be sure what to do you or Mary:

To buy 2 or 3 chicks today is not a bad idea if you dont mind raising them yourself in a brooder if Mary doesn’t accept them.

I think its not a bad idea to candle the eggs before Mary wakes up to make a final decision. I know people do this with eggs in incubators, and you can do it too with sleepy broodies in the night.

I don’t have any idea what she will do if you add the chicks and leave the eggs in the nest too. Maybe she gets confused? And because the chicks are a bit older, Mary will leave the nest soon anyway after you added the chicks in the nest.

Do you have an incubator in case there are chicks inside who might be alive? If you start to warm it a few hours before you switch the eggs with the chicks maybe a miracle happens and Mary has 1 or 2 chicks she has been brooding too.
Adding another chick (or 2) in the night, who is strong enough to walk around with Mary (1 or 2 days after hatch) might work.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. We all know you try to do the right thing .

Edited an ugly typo.

 

[ManueB]

We all know you try to do the right thing .

That's exactly the impression I get of MJ, as far as you can get to know a person from reading posts on a forum.

I had a look at french forums because sometimes there is a real difference on the advice given, but not in this case. The most common opinion is that the main factor in whether the hen will accept the chicks or not, is the hen herself and the decision she makes. People said that if it's possible to give chicks not older than two days it could help ; but I found some had success with older chicks, up to five days, and even in one case twelve.

I don’t have any idea what she will do if you add the chicks and leave the eggs in the nest too. Maybe she gets confused? And because the chicks are a bit older, Mary will leave the nest soon anyway after you added the chicks in the nest.

Two posts I read where the poster did not take off the eggs when putting the chicks in because they were unsure the eggs would hatch and wanted to give them a chance. They said the adoption worked but they did not follow up to say what happened with the eggs. The overlap would be very short like you say, maybe 24h.

Also, people said to stick around a bit when putting the chicks in because in most cases adoption or reject was a quick decision - but again there were some exceptions.

My personal view is that in my eyes it changes things a bit that you found reading back Mary has already sat once, for the last part at least. I'm sorry that like RC I may not come out very clear. I mean that this is her second chance, not her first. I'm not sure I would try three times to let a hen sit if it had not worked twice before ; I would think it was someone else's turn. I feel like if she does not get to actually raise chicks, she was given a fair chance. But I can also understand that you would want to try to make it possible for her.

 

[Perris]

As another day starts for me and draws to an end for you MJ, even those of us of sunny disposition start to feel a little glum. If I were you, I would leave it one more night - I would not candle, because you are in the lockdown phase, and there is a reason the broody stops turning at this stage - it can kill the chick, and then I would investigate in the morning if still nothing has happened. I would put a bowl of Mary's favorite food within her sight and smell, next to a bowl of clean fresh water, and if and when she got off the nest, I would have a good look and take photos of what I saw.

Some things, like half-hatched chicks, can be obvious, but a photo can pick up things you don't notice at the time - this is an emotionally charged act after all - and which later may turn out to be significant clues.

I would eggtopsy any unhatched eggs to find out what went wrong. This is a very useful resource for such an exercise
https://ufdc.ufl.edu/IR00004437/00001

 

[MaryJanet]

Day 24. No sign of hatching.

Edie's doing very well now.

 

[MaryJanet]

It's an absolutely stunning morning so I'm eating outside again.

The avocados are amazing this year.

 

[RoyalChick]

It's an absolutely stunning morning so I'm eating outside again.

View attachment 3983909

The avocados are amazing this year.

That looks exceptionally yummy!
Glad you got to relax a bit - I know the hatch is stressful at the moment.