Mrs AK Bird Brain Silkies are HATCHING:)

[snowydiamonds]

She may be, Tori. I'll ask her original owner who is stopping by tonight. She's determined so I'm not going to interrupt though I am fighting myself on taking them from her as they hatch. All along, when she'd get off the eggs one of the plumper hens would jump in there and babysit till she came back.

Banties are such great birds! Even the roo, last week one of the younger ones wanted warmth as the weather was turning cold and they still want to be outside in the daylight so it crawled between his legs and he just stood there like it was only natural for him to be such a great family guy!

 

[snowydiamonds]

Well, we got our first snow storm yesterday and the snow has stayed so far! Jimmie (a Mrs,lady) couldn't stop by last night, we both needed to get home and get our yard stuff put away for winter. UPDATE on chicks:

The Buff Plymouth Rock hen has hatched 5 of her 6 silkie eggs yesterday. I lifted her up to see and count, making sure she wasn't hiding any that would drop. She has 2 light colored (blue or lavendar) and 3 dark colored chicks! There was one egg still so I put that one under the Blue hen.

Blue hen hatched the first and biggest blue chick that died the first night and the rest of her eggs hadn't done anything yet. When I checked on everyone at bedtime check and to refill water containers, Blue hen must of missed her chick and traded Buff hen boxes. Blue hen was taking care of the five chicks and Buff was trying to hatch Blue Hen's remaining eggs. I switched them back and haven't checked this morning.

I decided the newest coop (half of it) will house the mama hen(s) w/silkie chicks but the door needs weather stripping and a doorknob first, sil was going to do that today while I'm at work if he doesn't get the flu from his wife (my eldest daughter).

Last night I put three nestboxes down on the floor of the half of the new coop, added a step, layered everything with straw and lined the boxes w/straw, shredded paper, and topped it w/straw. Then, I realized I need to lay down another sheet of plywood so its warmer this winter on the floor so I'll get that down today or tonight.

I think I can safely move the Buff hen and five chicks tonight or tomorrow while we wait a bit more for Blue Hen's eggs- I don't want to give up too soon! She did get off her nest eggs to eat and drink as she's a skinny, tiny hen.

Buff hen was religious in her duties, esp the last three days! Buff hen never moved from the nest the last three days, good mama! She talks so sweet to her chickies and they peep to her, no frantic peeps either!

It was dark while I counted and used my cell phone for light, no pics, don't think they'd have turned out. At least five chickies (insert smiley w/ bouquets of flowers here)!

 

[snowydiamonds]

Last night after watering and refilling feed containers, I laid down two pieces of plywood on the new chicken coop floor in the 1st half, place a chick feeder w/feed and chick water container beneath a heat lamp and moved the two hens w/their five chickies in. Blue hen had abandoned her remaining eggs in favor of sharing the five chicks w/Buff hen so I placed a light and a dark chick in a nest for Blue hen. I kept two dark chicks and a light chick in another nest for Buff hen.

The peeping woke Blue Roo (Andalusian) in the second half of the coop, he's the roo that as a youngster was very maternal to all younger chicks so he was awful worried about those peepsters! I told him they were fine, it was just a bit chilly in the new nests compared to the ones they'd just left so he quieted down but kept "that eye" on where the peeps were coming from.

This morning Buff hen's three had left the nest and she was hunkered down in straw, covering them so I moved them in the nick of time! Blue hen's two chicks are still w/her in their new nest- all five are healthy and vigorous. I didn't take time to see which way their head feathers lie to sex them nor take pics as I didn't want the hens upset or chicks cold! I have a heater to add to the coop so they can enjoy exercising and exploring

The pullets I thought might be BLRW's are more than likely EE's and very sweet, they (3) and Blue roo were right at the best vantage point in the adjoining coop trying to get a good look at the peepsters this morning.

I'll get pics today when I take a break from work...

 

[Mrs MIA]

Yay! Pictures!!!

 

[vfem]

Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Quote:
I let the Mrs. do that last year, we got a $400 electric bill. I swore she'd never be allowed to hatch during the winter again...... But I cant help but notice their is an incubator still plugged in??????

I must be loosing my bark!

 

[snowydiamonds]

Mr Bird Brain got me thinking and Buff hen lost track of two of her chicks yesterday so they became hypothermic while I was at work, trusting her to be a good mama. Brought one back to life, the other didn't make it They are in the house now.

Blue hen is caring for all four remaining chicks and Buff hen is doing well back w/the flock. One of my youngster bantams, the gold/black girl's legs gave out on her last night since I've only provided layer feed! I moved the chicks inside w/a cat carrier cage and the gold/black girl in another cat carrier cage, moved all youngsters (8) into the 1st half of the new largest coop and set them back on grower feed.

About 1am I got the steel wire dog kennel set up w/hardware cloth on the sides to keep the small chicks inside but there were still places they could escape so I cut up a cardboard box and surrounded the bottom half & sides to contain peepsters. Set the cage in the bigger cage but took off the door to the cat cage so it would feel like a secluded nestbox.

Took Blue hen out this morning so I could teach the chicks to eat and drink as she wasn't allowing them out in this dangerous world. Little Black chick LOVES water, kept running back to stand in the water ever chance he could and boy were those chicks thirsty! Its a wonder chickens have survived at all in the world, comparing to the mistakes my hens and I have made w/these!

Photobucket and my computer are taking forever so will try to just post these pics and if someone steals the pics, well, I still have the actual most determined chicks to survive, ever!
http://img236.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture042uv3.jpg

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Good looking babies!

Dont worry too much, hatching chicks up here and getting them to thrive is hard work. Just ask my wife!

You can add marbles or rocks to the waterer to keep the little guys out of it. We have had a couple die from getting to wet or falling asleep in the water.

 

[snowydiamonds]

Thanks Mr. Bird Brain, I put glass rocks and marbles in, the darkest chick absolutely loves water. His mama hen and I keep checking on him. This morning they are all excited, eating, drinking and exploring their small world. Hen sure talks sweet to them...they don't run and hide from me either, they listen to my voice and look at me "with that one eye"

then say something back in their little voices, mama hen gives me one eye'd look, too, but is sharing them w/me so far. She doesn't call to them to say I'm dangerous...

 

[steffpeck]

They are so cute!!