my abandoned eggs

[minna]

I took the why not advice and put the abandoned bantam eggs in the bator a week ago. I know it's a little early, but I candled last night, they are doing great. The air cells look a little big, but we will see. I did however find out what exactly I am hatching. Daddy was a BBRed Roo, and mom was "one of those chickens with feathers on it's legs" I'm thinking cochin? This should make some interesting babies. We will see right around Thanksgiving.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Congrats on the fertile eggs. Keep us posted to progress and show us pictures when they hatch.

 

[minna]

Just wanted to update. 5 eggs hatched. 2 of them took 3 days to pip and zip and then I helped them finish, they were too tired to even chirp and ended up fine. The next day 1 of the last to hatch was dead, followed by the other the day after. Two days later one of the 3 remaining died and then the other two followed suite the day after that. I don't know if they were just not strong or what. It was my first bantam hatch, but I treated them just like the other chicks and the 3 orphs that hatched with them are doing great. IDK. The 'bator is now retired for the winter. I unplugged it yesterday.

But, on a bright note. I have some silkie eggs lined up for spring, my dh doesn't know this, he said no silkies. shhhhhh.

 

[swtangel321]

OMG !! Sorry about all your loss's

Tell me more about how you were caring for them...

Temp, food, any signs of sickness ??

 

[minna]

I did the same I do for all of my chicks. I was afraid the regular starter was too big for them so I poured some of the crushed bits from the bottom of the feeder that the bigger chicks had left ( don't know how to explain it, but I know if you have babies you know what I mean) onto a piece of wood on the bottom of the brooder just in case. They had water. They had a heat lamp, the thermostat set on 90. Every time I looked they were running around, not huddled so they weren't cold. The first two that died, I kinda expected it. They had a hard hatch and I ended up having to hatch them, one zipped and couldn't get out and the other didn't even get completely zipped. The membrane dried on them. One of them was pretty bad and had to have a bath to even be able to move. But the other 3 were perfect. The ran around and chirped and played. They drank right away when I put them in the brooder. I don't know what happened. No signs of sickness and the other 3 orphs in with them are thriving. The only think I can think is that maybe being so small they didn't get enough of the heat. IDK? I think if I try to hatch bantams again I will make a smaller brooder for them to grow up in for a few weeks. These eggs were just kinda thrown at me b/c they were abandoned. I really wanted to see what they would turn out like. Here's a pic I snapped of the first three and one of the orphs.

 

[swtangel321]

Thats so odd !!! Again very sorry

Do you think the 3 older ones in there were picking on them ? Stinks that you cant figure out why !!

 

[minna]

I thought about that, but never saw anything of the sort. It's totally possible though.

 

[swtangel321]

Well, you did a good job taking care of them i'm sure !! Just odd how things happend huh ?