Official Squatch Watchers

Just put 19 guinea eggs in the lockdown bator. They should start hatching tomorrow. 4-5 look iffy, but I added them anyway. One of them I'm almost POSITIVE won't hatch because the egg is half empty, but the little guy is still moving, so you never know.

These are the eggs from the hidden nest of 25 I found. I wasn't expecting this many to get this far.
 
Here are @rjohns39 chicks I got this morning! All arrived safely after spending 2 days in the tender care of the P.O.
IMG_4695.JPG
 
So I had said I had a crazy week last week but didn't elaborate. This week is a little less but Chicken Armageddon continues.
I had a broody who happily took babies.
20200613_210937.jpg

Then 3 more thought babies would be a good idea. They always want to brood in the most popular nest box. And if I even think of moving them they freak out and pace and refuse to sit. But don't break of course.
So I have 1 hen in 1 box and the other 2 girls decide to brood together. I have eggs in the incubator so with about a week to go let them have eggs. The nest hoping starts... 1 girl by herself and the other 2 always together.
The 2 girls hatch 1 baby and only 1 mom accepts it. The single hen hatches 2 babies. So I get a few more babies for them to share.
20200615_202557.jpg

Oddly enough they are a mother daughter team. Neither of who has raised chicks before.
The 3rd girl of the group wouldn't give up but wouldn't take babies. So I let her sit a bit longer and slipped eggs under her again. Then 2 more girls joined the broody gang!
Things really got out of control. They were breaking eggs and eating the babies. Or just letting them die. I had a freak accidental death. Had a chick hatch with its leg through a loop in its umbilical. No way to get the leg out without pulling intestines out. So it had to be culled. Once babies were hatched 2 of the 3 girls wouldn't take them. But I have 1 more happy girl with babies.
Had a grow out attacked. She survived but looks pretty rough. Someone grabbed her by the neck and ripped her skin pretty good. Her neck is bruised so I hand fed her slurry for a few days.
20200623_105044.jpg
Now I'm dealing with a cocci outbreak. And 2 girls still insisting they want babies.
 
So I had said I had a crazy week last week but didn't elaborate. This week is a little less but Chicken Armageddon continues.
I had a broody who happily took babies.
View attachment 2213278
Then 3 more thought babies would be a good idea. They always want to brood in the most popular nest box. And if I even think of moving them they freak out and pace and refuse to sit. But don't break of course.
So I have 1 hen in 1 box and the other 2 girls decide to brood together. I have eggs in the incubator so with about a week to go let them have eggs. The nest hoping starts... 1 girl by herself and the other 2 always together.
The 2 girls hatch 1 baby and only 1 mom accepts it. The single hen hatches 2 babies. So I get a few more babies for them to share.
View attachment 2213783
Oddly enough they are a mother daughter team. Neither of who has raised chicks before.
The 3rd girl of the group wouldn't give up but wouldn't take babies. So I let her sit a bit longer and slipped eggs under her again. Then 2 more girls joined the broody gang!
Things really got out of control. They were breaking eggs and eating the babies. Or just letting them die. I had a freak accidental death. Had a chick hatch with its leg through a loop in its umbilical. No way to get the leg out without pulling intestines out. So it had to be culled. Once babies were hatched 2 of the 3 girls wouldn't take them. But I have 1 more happy girl with babies.
Had a grow out attacked. She survived but looks pretty rough. Someone grabbed her by the neck and ripped her skin pretty good. Her neck is bruised so I hand fed her slurry for a few days.
View attachment 2213975
Now I'm dealing with a cocci outbreak. And 2 girls still insisting they want babies.
:hugs:hugs:hugs

Sorry all this is happening. Break the bad broodies and sell them. I don't have time for infanticidal mamas.
 
So I had said I had a crazy week last week but didn't elaborate. This week is a little less but Chicken Armageddon continues.
I had a broody who happily took babies.
View attachment 2213278
Then 3 more thought babies would be a good idea. They always want to brood in the most popular nest box. And if I even think of moving them they freak out and pace and refuse to sit. But don't break of course.
So I have 1 hen in 1 box and the other 2 girls decide to brood together. I have eggs in the incubator so with about a week to go let them have eggs. The nest hoping starts... 1 girl by herself and the other 2 always together.
The 2 girls hatch 1 baby and only 1 mom accepts it. The single hen hatches 2 babies. So I get a few more babies for them to share.
View attachment 2213783
Oddly enough they are a mother daughter team. Neither of who has raised chicks before.
The 3rd girl of the group wouldn't give up but wouldn't take babies. So I let her sit a bit longer and slipped eggs under her again. Then 2 more girls joined the broody gang!
Things really got out of control. They were breaking eggs and eating the babies. Or just letting them die. I had a freak accidental death. Had a chick hatch with its leg through a loop in its umbilical. No way to get the leg out without pulling intestines out. So it had to be culled. Once babies were hatched 2 of the 3 girls wouldn't take them. But I have 1 more happy girl with babies.
Had a grow out attacked. She survived but looks pretty rough. Someone grabbed her by the neck and ripped her skin pretty good. Her neck is bruised so I hand fed her slurry for a few days.
View attachment 2213975
Now I'm dealing with a cocci outbreak. And 2 girls still insisting they want babies.
Not a fun time
 

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