One is pipping!!

[omelette'smom]

My bantum, Sunny (Side-Up) was on 6 eggs for 3 days and got bullied off her nest for others to lay in. My brabanter, Omelette, was on 8. Sunny and Omelette switched nest boxes because Sunny's box had now had 13 and way too big for her. How smart was that!! I finished 2 small coops for them and got them moved. So the bantum has been sitting for 21 days but her clutch won't hatch till wed or thurs. Omelette has Sunny's original clutch and one is pipping!


Suggestions welcome on what to do with the eggs that don't hatch with the others and the hen "abandons" them to tend to hatchlings. I was thinking maybe pair up a potential broody with the eggs? Or maybe take the hatchlings and set up a brooder box and let her keep sitting until the others hatch. I won't have them die at day 19 or 20! I don't have an incubator but i have totes and a heat lamp. I was told by a work friend who runs a farm that his broodys don't leave the nest until they all hatch. "Wait and see" doesn't settle my stomach very well.


Anyway, I heard the chirping and thought the chick already hatched and was amazed it was still in the egg!! Wow they are really loud! I was not expecting that! I hear about pipping and zipping and was wondering timeframe under a broody as opposed to incubator. I leave for work in less then 2 hours and would love to see the first Le Fleche mutt! Pics and names to follow. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[the Old Rebel]

Omelette'sMom,

Congratulations on your pip!! I would put a pan of chick feed and a small waterer in front of the Mama Hen. Let her keep on setting for at least another day or two or for as long as she will stay. She will teach the baby(ies) to eat and drink even while she is still setting.

If she abandons unhatched eggs, candle them. If you think there is life, putting them under a heat lamp with a bowl with water in it MAY give them what they need to hatch. Others here may have better ideas. Just don't put the lamp too close or you will fry the eggs. Put a thermometer right beside them and monitor it until you get the right temperature (between 99.5 and 100.5). It is better to err on the side of too low than too high.

However, since your banty's clutch is due Wednesday or Thursday, if there are only one or two eggs, could she take them? Just a thought to think on.

As long as your new babies have food and water available, they are fine being right there with their mom. If you opt to put them in the brooder, you will have to re-introduce them to her when she is finished setting. I do this at night. I just put the chick in front of her and watch until I KNOW she has accepted it. Since they will have already imprinted on her, I don't think it will be much of a problem.

I don't know a lot, but I will help any way I can. Good Luck!! Let us know how it's going.

the Old Rebel

 

[omelette'smom]

Great advice! I did put some "baby food" in when I heard the chirping. I gave mom a taste and she looked at me like I was crazy. I need to put rocks in the water still. Aside from that I just keep anoying her every 10 minutes checking on them. It's so exciting! I hope they are healthy!

 

[Mom2Cool]

How exciting...

remember at some point pictures!

 

[omelette'smom]

I missed the "BREAK-OUT". It was zipped all the way around but I had to leave for work. I asked my 11 yr old DD to take a couple of pics for me and she took a VIDEO!! How awesome it was to watch it when I got home!! We have 3...2 black and a dark brown. I'll try to put it on photo bucket. (No promises due to technical difficulties!) The 3rd she said was hysterical cause it came out feet first and was stumbling around with the egg shell on it's head...sorry-no video on that! I have to bring mom the water to drink from cause she won't get up. She wants her baker's dozen! What a good girl! No other pips. The babies were sleeping under her until the medling human came outside to check on them. All doing great!

 

[Mom2Cool]

omelette'smom :

I missed the "BREAK-OUT". It was zipped all the way around but I had to leave for work. I asked my 11 yr old DD to take a couple of pics for me and she took a VIDEO!! How awesome it was to watch it when I got home!! We have 3...2 black and a dark brown. I'll try to put it on photo bucket. (No promises due to technical difficulties!) The 3rd she said was hysterical cause it came out feet first and was stumbling around with the egg shell on it's head...sorry-no video on that! I have to bring mom the water to drink from cause she won't get up. She wants her baker's dozen! What a good girl! No other pips. The babies were sleeping under her until the medling human came outside to check on them. All doing great!

Ohmyword video is the best....... please please do post if you can!

I had 2 broody girls 1 has 3 chicks & had left her last egg so I took it & slipped it under broody #2 & I knew it was to hatch ahead of the one she was sitting on but I thought this way the one she was sitting on would not be a single chick. Sure enough the one I slipped under her has hatched a good few days ago & she was still on the egg until yesterday when she really looked like she wanted to come out. When she came out of the lil rabbit hutch I've got her in she'd covered the egg with bedding so I thought she'd want to go back to it which she did at night but this morning she looked to have tossed it to the side. So when I let her out I swipped it & brought it in & put it in the incubator with the others that are hatching. I had candled it & even in the day time could see movement & I could feel the vibration of the chick inside the egg.... it seems a shame to waste it though I have eggs in hatch & I did have to open the bator to slip it in. The humidity is still 71% & so now I'm crossing my fingers it works. I've got cheeping from eggs looking to hatch w/1 looking like it's getting ready to zip..... I thought chicken keeping was suppose to be relaxing ???? LOL​

 

[omelette'smom]

Good luck with your babies!! I am trying the video post now. Let's see how long this will take for me to figure out...(see you tomorrow probably!! LOL)

 

[omelette'smom]

Okay-I stand corrected...my ds took the video, my dd held the flashlight and my younest ds was lifting the hen so we could see. The first few seconds you can't see anything and it's all shaky. Then the teamwork kicks in and the fighting stops and you can see pretty good.

Enjoy!

 

[omelette'smom]

Okay, I just watched it again and it is very obvious the video was done by children. My eyes actually hurt trying to follow the light! Still...important thing is, the chick doing well and the kids tried to work together! Only took 10 years!

 

[omelette'smom]

So now I have to change my message on bottom to 19 chickens! Only 17 to go. Anyone want some?