Hello! I've been lurking and learning at this wonderful forum for a couple of weeks now. Yesterday, we brought home our first chick.
A friend of ours was going to give us the chicks from a clutch of six eggs his Mille Fleur D'Uccle hen was sitting on to raise as the beginning of our backyard flock. When they were old enough to sex, we'd keep the hens and give him back the roosters. The chicks will be cross bred d'Uccle with his Serama rooster.
About a week ago, though, he noticed his hen had been scared off the nest, and found that the eggs had cooled. He got the hen settled back down, but there was no way to know whether the eggs were still ok or not.
Friday night he called me to say he'd checked on the hen and was surprised that she had one chick already hatched and dry (the scheduled hatch date wasn't until today, Sunday). We hoped by the time we went over on Saturday morning that some or all of the other eggs would have hatched, but that didn't happen. There was only this one chick, who was ready to be out and about. The hen, however, was still sitting on the remaining eggs. So we took the one chick, brought her home and have been brooding her.
She's adorable! Spunky! Nimble on her feet! So tiny it's unbelieveable. We named her Billina, after the talking hen in the Wizard of Oz books. She has imprinted on us, and loves to climb up into a cupped hand. She's eating, drinking and pooping, all normally. We have a chair set up next to the brooder and my daughter and I take turns sitting there, keeping her company, and putting a hand in the brooder. When we move away, she complains loudly.
I was worried about how she was going to handle being by herself all night, because obviously we can't sleep with one hand stuck in the brooder. We put a small stuffed animal in with her, one of the Audubon Bird series, and she likes to cuddle to that. She peeped loudly for quite a while, but finally when it was dark she settled down next to the bird.
I have a digital thermometer in the brooder that I can check remotely from our bedroom (the brooder is in the den). She was quiet all night, and I kept checking the temperature to make sure it was all right, but I was so worried that she wouldn't be ok.
When I got up this morning to take care of our other birds (we have two doves, two linnies, and two budgies), I peeked in the brooder. Billina was not moving. My heart sank.
I did our usual morning bird chores with the other birds, then went over to the brooder and put my fingers gently over Billina. She peeped! She climbed into my hand. She was fine! Whew.
Now I'm crossing my fingers that some of her siblings hatch today so she can have some chicken company. Otherwise, she'll be an "only chicken" until the next clutch from my friend's other hen hatches in about two weeks.
A friend of ours was going to give us the chicks from a clutch of six eggs his Mille Fleur D'Uccle hen was sitting on to raise as the beginning of our backyard flock. When they were old enough to sex, we'd keep the hens and give him back the roosters. The chicks will be cross bred d'Uccle with his Serama rooster.
About a week ago, though, he noticed his hen had been scared off the nest, and found that the eggs had cooled. He got the hen settled back down, but there was no way to know whether the eggs were still ok or not.
Friday night he called me to say he'd checked on the hen and was surprised that she had one chick already hatched and dry (the scheduled hatch date wasn't until today, Sunday). We hoped by the time we went over on Saturday morning that some or all of the other eggs would have hatched, but that didn't happen. There was only this one chick, who was ready to be out and about. The hen, however, was still sitting on the remaining eggs. So we took the one chick, brought her home and have been brooding her.
She's adorable! Spunky! Nimble on her feet! So tiny it's unbelieveable. We named her Billina, after the talking hen in the Wizard of Oz books. She has imprinted on us, and loves to climb up into a cupped hand. She's eating, drinking and pooping, all normally. We have a chair set up next to the brooder and my daughter and I take turns sitting there, keeping her company, and putting a hand in the brooder. When we move away, she complains loudly.
I was worried about how she was going to handle being by herself all night, because obviously we can't sleep with one hand stuck in the brooder. We put a small stuffed animal in with her, one of the Audubon Bird series, and she likes to cuddle to that. She peeped loudly for quite a while, but finally when it was dark she settled down next to the bird.
I have a digital thermometer in the brooder that I can check remotely from our bedroom (the brooder is in the den). She was quiet all night, and I kept checking the temperature to make sure it was all right, but I was so worried that she wouldn't be ok.
When I got up this morning to take care of our other birds (we have two doves, two linnies, and two budgies), I peeked in the brooder. Billina was not moving. My heart sank.
I did our usual morning bird chores with the other birds, then went over to the brooder and put my fingers gently over Billina. She peeped! She climbed into my hand. She was fine! Whew.
Now I'm crossing my fingers that some of her siblings hatch today so she can have some chicken company. Otherwise, she'll be an "only chicken" until the next clutch from my friend's other hen hatches in about two weeks.
