Update on my Isbar rescues after a really bizarre and late broody hatch (due to funky bedding leaving the eggs unevenly heated as the eggs were often on the plastic liner with nothing underneath...my calculations).
Broody Rosie, the bantam Cochin, is still trying to brood duds. I've opened the hutch up to let the others shuffle through in hopes of dislodging her, but no shifting. I hate to break a brood on any bird, but I may either attempt a foster or break her...we'll see. Hubby still has the secondary coop in severe remodel, so I need to move my grow out OE and Cal Greys before I can attempt a foster situation as my broody/grow out run is running out of room with the nearly full grown OE and Cal Greys still in it, and 3 broodies!
For the Isbar rescues...End of week 2 and I lost the splash chick (no surprise as that was a late assist on day 26). The blue is in really good shape and looking normal and on track. The black is hanging in there...still very small and somewhat wobbly as it had straddle leg. I treated for a few days until it became so distressed by the hobbling that it wasn't eating/drinking...so I took that off to just let nature take its course. It has surprised me by getting around fairly well, eating, drinking. It is feathering in, so we'll see. Hopefully it will slowly gain.
However, since I figured I may lose the black, and the blue gets very upset alone, I purchased 2 Gold Stars from the feed store of the same age which are doing very nicely and have become best buds with the blue Isbar.
....and today I went into the feed store to purchase a replacement thermometer (was using my good science thermometer which is fragile) and of course couldn't resist walking out with a 1 1/2 week old Barnevelder...afterall if I'm going to do an artificial brood (which I HATE doing as I USE BROODIES) I might as well make it really worth my while.
In for a penny; in for a pound...chicken math never fails.
LofMc