Our first broody...shipped eggs started on 8/10. Come & hatch along!

[embkm]

One of my banties went broody last week. The 7th was day 1, so mine are due close to yours. What kinds of chicks are you hatching? I have 3 blue OEGB, 3 mixed banty, and 3 white leghorn/OEGB mixes. The daddy is a Blue OEGB. Mothers are blue/ splash OEGBs, white leghorns, and possibility of red laced white cornish, partridge cochin. All but the leghorns are bantams.

With as skittish as the Leghorns are, I really didnt expect their eggs to be fertile. But either Blue Ray is really quick and sneaky, or they like him for some reason cuz the one I candled had a little dancing chick in there! If if isnt raining tonight, hubby and I are going to candle all of the eggs.

 

[Miss Red]

I've got 3 EE eggs started on the 8th... 1 EE added in on the ninth... 2 mixed bantams, not sure which hen laid them but their either going to be D'Uccel or silkie crosses. 2 game eggs started the 10th and 1 mixed (RSL x Cornish ) egg started somewhere between the 10th and today, from the looks of the candling it was "stolen" around the 12th. Three hens, three eggs each. Would have been 13 under the one but I found her little secret.

 

[damselfish]

My girl is sitting on shipped eggs: Blue Ameracauna (supposedly...may just be EEs), Blue Orpingtons, and Blue Laced Red Wyandotte (see a theme here?).

 

[Miss Red]

Quote:
I see someone who likes Blue XD

 

[damselfish]

Well, I candled a couple of days ago and I only see two developing. But I'm not that great on candling, so I left them all in there anyway. It's the blue eggs that seem to be developing, so that will be exciting if I get some blue-feathered blue egg layers. Hope all is going well for everyone.

 

[Tropical Chook]

Quote:

.....you just resist could you? You won't believe how many times I walked out to candle and then managed to stop myself. You see, if I candle and I see any developing, I'll be gutted if none end up hatching, and if I candle and I don't see any development, then I'll also be gutted. So, with only a week to go, I'm just going to wait and see if I get greeted by any fuzzy butts next week. Besides, there are two broodies in the nest box now, and while the original one doesn't do anything more than growl at you if you go close, the other one sure has fire in her heart. She'll actually charge you or fly at you

Of course I don't blame her considering her last batch of chicks were abducted by a bigger hen, and also, she must be about 200 years old

so she's a bit cranky at the best of times

Hell, after what these eggs have been through, I'll be more than happy even if there's only one hatch.

Don't forget to keep us posted, especially next week when the big day arrives.

 

[damselfish]

Wow, a 200 year old hen, that must be scary.

Considering that my oldest hen is a complete crankypants (and not even a broody!) at 2 years old, I can only imagine.

And yup, you're right, I couldn't resist. I need a little "dancing around with a flashlight and candling tube" smiley symbol.

DH and I have decided that if nothing hatches, we will slip a hatchery chick or two under her. She's been so patient! Good luck with yours, I'll keep an eye on your other thread too!

 

[Tropical Chook]

When is your expected hatch date? For me, Wednesday will be day 21, so not long to go now. Hope everyone who has posted on this thread remembers to keep us all posted regarding hatching.

for all of you

 

[Miss Red]

I had two of my sex linked EE chicks hatch this morning and a third a few hours ago. The fourth is zipping at this point, but has not come out yet. One bantam is out, looks like a D'Uccle and a second was pipping. Both mamas seem happy. Mama three looks like her three won't hatch for a few more days.

 

[damselfish]

Congrats Miss Red! Go little pipping and zipping chicks!

Post pictures of your new fuzzybutts when you can.

Things are starting to look a bit iffy here. DH went out last night to put the chickens up and Red had moved to a different nest with eggs in it, leaving her eggs behind. There were additional "other hen" eggs in the first nest but two out of the five shipped eggs were mysteriously gone. No shell, no mess, no chick, no nuthin'.

One of the two missing ones was a blue, so I guess it's possible that it hatched and got eaten...only the blue two looked close when I candled. Coop is raised, so snake is unlikely (and we haven't had other eggs disappearing). The brown missing one couldn't have had much of a chick in it based on how it looked when candled.

So we moved the remaining three forlorn shipped eggs under her in the new spot, and she settled right down again. One way or another, there will be fuzzybutts, even if we have to go buy her a couple of hatchery chicks. The alleged hatch date is Wednesday.

I think I've definitely learned a lesson to go ahead and isolate my next broody. Ah well, live and learn. We wanted to see if she could do this in the lowest-fuss way possible, but I think a little more fuss might give us a better result next time.

P.S. Miss Red, what's a sex-linked EE?