My First Broody!

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Hopefully it just dries up, not much else you can do. Can't really see it too well, doesn't look like anything is hanging down?

Nothing is hanging down. I cleaned the area with warm water. The chick is doing fine.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Nothing is hanging down. I cleaned the area with warm water. The chick is doing fine.

Was it just poopy?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Was it just poopy?

No it was the yolk sack area.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

Today is hatch day for all of Prudence's eggs of both species. Finally I see two fluffy chicks moving around her. No keets yet. Some mean bird has pecked her comb bloody, too, evil things. And of course, even today, my Australorp had to sit on top of her awhile to lay her egg. My other 14 hens have picked a new favorite box, but not Lapis. She has to lay hers in the maternity ward despite the wishes of this much beleaguered mother.

 

[Tiffintn123]

Ok I have one chick!! We picked up momma bird and she had a baby underneath and the other egg hasn’t hatched yet. The chick was wet still. How long does it take for them to fluff up and start running around?

 

[Tiffintn123]

Also is hay ok? Or should we change to shavings tonight?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Ok I have one chick!! We picked up momma bird and she had a baby underneath and the other egg hasn’t hatched yet. The chick was wet still. How long does it take for them to fluff up and start running around?

I dunno how long it takes. I think maybe an hour or two. Momma will stay in the nest with them for a day or two before venturing out.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Also is hay ok? Or should we change to shavings tonight?

I have never used hay only shavings.

 

[Tiffintn123]

Thank you!

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I use straw. No issues so far.

Both my moms have kept babies in the nest at least a day after the first baby appeared, totally dry. I have no idea how long they take to dry. I wonder that they dry at all!

But funny thing...Prudence is up to four chicks, all four chicken eggs hatched. By feeding her (she hasn’t left the nest in at least 24 hours), I got her to relax enough to allow me to lift her. I don’t know how chickens manage to have folds, but I swear she has folds and into each fold was a chick, head first, so that when I lifted her, for a moment, the chicks all dangled by their heads the way I see nursing mammal babies sometimes do when mom decides she’s done. Then they fell out, into the nest. Adorable! She had relaxed so much since they started hatching. I can see the change in hormones returning her to much more her usual self.

A day or two ago I did see a guinea egg with a pip. All four still look intact otherwise. This is only day 28 for them, hatching tonight or tomorrow is totally possible, but I’m concerned again, even after the delight of all the chicks hatching.

By coincidence, the closest guinea egg supplier to me just posted again to Craigslist this morning.