My first broody....I thought....hmmmmmm, I'm a chicken dummy but hey.....could this work? Soooooo on Dec. 10th I placed 6 freshly laid eggs directly from the nest and stuck them under her. I made my own 'nesting box' for her out of our old dog carrier. My first time at this and I was nervous and excited. (This is my first year at raising chickens....my first chicks were brought home 5-6-09)
The next day I decided to put 2 others under her so that would mean the hatch should start New Years Eve into New Years day if these eggs are viable. 8 total.
I didn't candle at all..... let nature take it's course...
Yesterday went in to feed/water the 'girls' and got a suprise by hearing 'peep'.....'peep'....'peep'.
Nah....can't hatch an egg in 19 days (I thought to my self)... so last night kept going in for a look see but didn't see anything coming out from under her.
It's been running in the average of 20 degree days with single digit nites around here and I have no heater for them. Am a little worried it just might be too cold for them and I don't have my brooder put together. I procrastinated....again.
This morning...again I heard a more louder 'peep' and yep.....there was one little cutie pie sticking it's head out from mama.....
I do believe I am now a....um.....um.....grandma? LOL
I'm hoping the others will follow suite and come today or tomorrow.
What might the outcome be if I placed 8 eggs under her? 50% hatch? 60%? 70% more?
I'm soooo excited ....we have a baby!
(I have no clue what it is...only that it is black in color...and very very adorable)
The daddy is a cochin and the ladies are all kinds of different ones.....so not sure what kind of a chick will become of it and not sure which egg it came from! lol
EDIT: ADDING PICTURES....Aaaaaaand there is more than 1 that hatched early!!!! So far 5 hatched.....yeayyyyyyyyy......
The next day I decided to put 2 others under her so that would mean the hatch should start New Years Eve into New Years day if these eggs are viable. 8 total.
I didn't candle at all..... let nature take it's course...
Yesterday went in to feed/water the 'girls' and got a suprise by hearing 'peep'.....'peep'....'peep'.
Nah....can't hatch an egg in 19 days (I thought to my self)... so last night kept going in for a look see but didn't see anything coming out from under her.
It's been running in the average of 20 degree days with single digit nites around here and I have no heater for them. Am a little worried it just might be too cold for them and I don't have my brooder put together. I procrastinated....again.
This morning...again I heard a more louder 'peep' and yep.....there was one little cutie pie sticking it's head out from mama.....
I do believe I am now a....um.....um.....grandma? LOL
I'm hoping the others will follow suite and come today or tomorrow.
What might the outcome be if I placed 8 eggs under her? 50% hatch? 60%? 70% more?
I'm soooo excited ....we have a baby!
(I have no clue what it is...only that it is black in color...and very very adorable)
The daddy is a cochin and the ladies are all kinds of different ones.....so not sure what kind of a chick will become of it and not sure which egg it came from! lol
EDIT: ADDING PICTURES....Aaaaaaand there is more than 1 that hatched early!!!! So far 5 hatched.....yeayyyyyyyyy......
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