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Sending good thoughts your way!! I wouldn't give up hope yet. I am not very experienced with broodies but I'm sure things could easily go a day or two or three over for a variety of reasons. Hang in there! (Mine are due next Saturday .... )
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Sending good thoughts your way!! I wouldn't give up hope yet. I am not very experienced with broodies but I'm sure things could easily go a day or two or three over for a variety of reasons. Hang in there! (Mine are due next Saturday .... )
If it were me, I'd wait...she'll probably abandon them by herself in a day or 2 if they don't hatch.
But I hope they do, and the next time we hear from you is with baby pictures!!!!
Well I have spent most of today 'sewing up' the bottom 3 rows of my electric fencing so the 'babies' can't get out any more!
I have been stung by nettles and flies, poked by trees and scratched by thorns.
All the while Mom and Babies were planning their next escape route.
It took all of 3 minutes for them to make their way out and into the garden where they could be got by dogs but enjoy the spills from the bird feeders!!!!
So I turned on the electrics... Now the little **** are afraid to go back in!!!!
And in the meantime the rabbits are just making more holes!
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Well, we removed her again. I found two more injured chicks. One little silky had an eye swollen shut & covered with blood and the ear oozing blood. And a cute little Cornish just not moving right (honestly that might be something else - no external wounds and DH said he was like that yesterday - he squats on his hocks, low to the ground and rarely goes anywhere, he's alert but it's like it's too much trouble to move. No visible wounds, legs seem normal but aren't working right. He's improved a little indoors.) Momma seemed to be acting fine this morning when it was cool, and everyone looked ok. But at lunchtime I found the bloody silky and witnessed mom beating up on the other chicks, and she seemed to be hitting them harder and more frequently, and it seems painful to them. The few little pecks I've witnessed the chicks doing to each other don't seem nearly strong enough to cause the damage I'm seeing. Anyway, I can't prove it's mom but I just decided it's less risky to raise them without mom. She wants to get back to them.
Thanks to everyone for all the advice & support!
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Well, we removed her again. I found two more injured chicks. One little silky had an eye swollen shut & covered with blood and the ear oozing blood. And a cute little Cornish just not moving right (honestly that might be something else - no external wounds and DH said he was like that yesterday - he squats on his hocks, low to the ground and rarely goes anywhere, he's alert but it's like it's too much trouble to move. No visible wounds, legs seem normal but aren't working right. He's improved a little indoors.) Momma seemed to be acting fine this morning when it was cool, and everyone looked ok. But at lunchtime I found the bloody silky and witnessed mom beating up on the other chicks, and she seemed to be hitting them harder and more frequently, and it seems painful to them. The few little pecks I've witnessed the chicks doing to each other don't seem nearly strong enough to cause the damage I'm seeing. Anyway, I can't prove it's mom but I just decided it's less risky to raise them without mom. She wants to get back to them.
Thanks to everyone for all the advice & support!
so sorry it has to be this way, but you know whats best for your flock. I hope all the little ones recover, you might give the lthe little cornish some vitamins to see if it will help strengthen his legs.. Poly- vi- sol w/o iron or save-a-chick.
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Well, we removed her again. I found two more injured chicks. One little silky had an eye swollen shut & covered with blood and the ear oozing blood. And a cute little Cornish just not moving right (honestly that might be something else - no external wounds and DH said he was like that yesterday - he squats on his hocks, low to the ground and rarely goes anywhere, he's alert but it's like it's too much trouble to move. No visible wounds, legs seem normal but aren't working right. He's improved a little indoors.) Momma seemed to be acting fine this morning when it was cool, and everyone looked ok. But at lunchtime I found the bloody silky and witnessed mom beating up on the other chicks, and she seemed to be hitting them harder and more frequently, and it seems painful to them. The few little pecks I've witnessed the chicks doing to each other don't seem nearly strong enough to cause the damage I'm seeing. Anyway, I can't prove it's mom but I just decided it's less risky to raise them without mom. She wants to get back to them.
Thanks to everyone for all the advice & support!
so sorry it has to be this way, but you know whats best for your flock. I hope all the little ones recover, you might give the lthe little cornish some vitamins to see if it will help strengthen his legs.. Poly- vi- sol w/o iron or save-a-chick.
the eggs didn't hatch under my broody but are still hatching in the incubator. wanted to thank all y'all for the good advice and will try this again next year. she wanted to be a mommy so bad.