I gave a broody four chicks and pulled the eggs she was sitting on. Two looked good so I popped them all in my home-made incubator.
I candled at lockdown and one looked great. Another was dead and I pulled it. Another, I thought might be dead. But I left it in the incubator anyway.
One hatched yesterday. Thinking the other was dead, I candled it--there's obvious growth, I can see the beak sticking into the membrane (not through it yet) and I can see the veins pulsing!
It's alive! I'm glad I didn't kill it with my careless handling. So now we might get two.
My concern now (or several) is that I was going to give these chicks to another broody hen. But now, if this one hatches there'll be several days between them.
Should I give the older chick to the broody hen now, or wait until the other hatches? Or until we know whether it will?
I may end up raising one chick if she rejects it. Or both if I wait too long. She's approaching three weeks and getting impatient.
I candled at lockdown and one looked great. Another was dead and I pulled it. Another, I thought might be dead. But I left it in the incubator anyway.
One hatched yesterday. Thinking the other was dead, I candled it--there's obvious growth, I can see the beak sticking into the membrane (not through it yet) and I can see the veins pulsing!
It's alive! I'm glad I didn't kill it with my careless handling. So now we might get two.
My concern now (or several) is that I was going to give these chicks to another broody hen. But now, if this one hatches there'll be several days between them.
Should I give the older chick to the broody hen now, or wait until the other hatches? Or until we know whether it will?
I may end up raising one chick if she rejects it. Or both if I wait too long. She's approaching three weeks and getting impatient.
