My crushed egg is moving :)

[ronott1]

Nice Job!

Very cute chick

 

[Sara L]

Be careful about putting the chick in if she can see it. It's best to do that when it's dark, put it in from behind her and keep it covered by your hands until it's under her. That way it's more likely she will believe she hatched it and think it's hers.

 

[Shezadandy]

Exactly- if you present it in your hand, she will probably peck it. If you're willing to take a peck on your hand- depends on the hen, I have 3 that are evil bite, grab, twist, pull biters. I put my broodies in crates for the hatch and the first couple/few days while they're glued to the nest to make it easy on me to check babies at a nice high table-- so for us, there is no reaching from behind to play stork. Only from the front. So I cup the chick between my hands, take whatever pecks she wants to deliver, and tuck the little one in underneath. We wait until evening- but not too late- I like to observe and be sure she's accepted it first.

 

[Shezadandy]

Though I did have something of a Disney moment with one of my nasty biters- she will play kungfu broody if you reach for her- feet fly- she uses the crate or nest box like she's in the Matrix movie- so my only choice was to put the innocent little chickers in the front corner. She clucked. It peeped. She clucked again and stood up a little- and darned if that baby didn't run right under her, like "MOMMY!!!!" The next 4 did the same thing. By the 5th chick, she even forgot to bite me when I put the chick in the corner, she was so happy.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

Chicken people..we haz clever

 

[PouleChick]

Oh be still my beating heart, I woke up to another hatched egg -the tinie tiny bantam has hatched and it is miniscule I feel so much better now Lucky has a little friend in the box!

Be careful about putting the chick in if she can see it

OK, I'll take dh down as well

If you're willing to take a peck on your hand- depends on the hen

I dont' think she will, I have been carrying her around most of her life, and while broddy have been in and out from under her and last night and this mroning I slid her tub out and lift / felt under her and not a moment of aggression. She thinks I'm her mummy I think!

We wait until evening- but not too late

does that mean it can still be a bit light? Typical last night was the longest day of the year

She clucked. It peeped. She clucked again and stood up a little- and darned if that baby didn't run right under her, like "MOMMY!!!!

 

[PouleChick]

Little update - totally successful transition to under mum for my 2 tinys - mum hatched the one last night and another today and then when i was checking on them this evening the BCM is also hatching so she never noticed me pop the 2 tiny ones in - I've been feeling under / pattting her / moving her about most days she has been broody (partly on purpose to have her totally be fine with me). As suggested I went back down 20 minutes later to check and all was fine - big puffed up wings covering all her babies . She is going to be the most amazing mum ever if she is doing this well at 7 months old imagine when she is an older hen - I'll be able to put 20 under her . And to make things even better we came back to the house to find that one of the Marans eggs has a little beak sticking out this is one of the 3 remaining of the 5 that were found cold outside the box so I still have some small hope that it will be OK for the ohters (another Marans and my single cream legbar) so hoping tomorrow I can sneak that one and any others under her when I do the move out of the stupid TV she is in and into the proper little coop. Talking of which we also while we were down there in the dark moved broody 1 (silkie) and her chicks into the big coop so I can free up the little coop. We'll see how that goes as she donesn't get on with one of my other girls. Clemantine made the hugest racket as we walked away - I think they didn't knwo what / who we just put in with them.

Talk about chicken learning curve today

 

[GrannyHeeney]

Ain't it like cats? You buy them expensive toys, they wind up playing with empty toilet paper rolls. You buy/make your hen a nice tidy little nest box and she parks it in an old tv. So cute!