Pipd's Peeps!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

5 babies!!

I can't even believe it! 5 eggs, 5 babies!! I saw most of them moving, too! (Only reason I didn't see the others move, I'm sure, is because I got all excited seeing the first few and quickly moved through them!) They look more like day 9 or 10 than day 7, though. Hopefully that's just because they are smaller eggs!

I still can't believe it! 5 babies!! I don't know if I want to be giggly or get all emotional!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Eggciting news!!!

 

[TheChickenQueen]

Yay!

Hopefully they all hatch, then you would have a bunch of cute baby silkies!

 

[pattyhen]

Great news. I'm so happy.

 

[PouleNoire]

5 babies!!

I can't even believe it! 5 eggs, 5 babies!! I saw most of them moving, too! (Only reason I didn't see the others move, I'm sure, is because I got all excited seeing the first few and quickly moved through them!) They look more like day 9 or 10 than day 7, though. Hopefully that's just because they are smaller eggs!

I still can't believe it! 5 babies!! I don't know if I want to be giggly or get all emotional!

Ya! Way to go! Good luck with them I hope they all hatch!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I was worried about Margie today. She's totally healthy and everything, but... This morning, when I checked on her like I do every morning, she perked up and hurried right out of her broody pen to the water bucket. She usually has her break in the afternoon, so I thought this was a bit unusual to start with, but I let her take her break. But when she was done, she went down into the coop addition, hopped up onto the perch in there, and just stood there making broody noises at any hen that got too close. I carried her back to her nest, where she happily sat back down on her eggs, but that was a bit worrying. I have no idea how long she would have sat there if I hadn't intervened, but I panicked a bit... The incubator is ready for use, just in case, and I got a new thermometer and sponges for it today if I need to use it. :/

She was sitting like usual as of this afternoon and didn't get up for a break at her usual time. She seems to be settled back in and is keeping her eggs warm now. C'mon, Margie, stick with it! I hope she's willing to wait until the afternoon tomorrow and 'reset' her break time, too, because I don't have a lot of time most mornings to wait for her to have her break!


I asked on another thread about her eggs looking more developed than they should at this point, and the person I got Reuben from (who is a Silkie breeder with a lot of hatching experience) said that Silkies tend to hatch on day 19. So if Margie sticks with it, she could have babies as soon as a week from Tuesday!! And if I end up taking them to the incubator, then I'll have babies by then!

And in 79 days I'll have more babies! Can't believe how fast that date is coming up!!

 

[pattyhen]

I think Marge just needed a little break earlier then usual and she took it. Then she had to tell everyone about the babies before she sit back down.

Marge has got this silkies are born to be broody. It won't be long you will have your other chicks in the mail. I can't wait to see pics of them. I wish I was getting chicks this spring but I don't have the room.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I think so, too, now. I don't know about talking about the babies, though that is a funny thing to imagine (the other girls do seem disgruntled with her like they're tired of hearing about it... ), but she is back on the nest and not looking like she wants to get up this morning! I checked on the eggs to make sure she had all of them under her still, and she just grumbled at me for messing under her, then settled back in. PHEW! I was so scared she was going to quit on them, and that seemed so unlike her after her last try at hatching!


We actually drive out and pick up the chicks every year because I'm paranoid about opening a box of dead chicks from the mail. But no worries, there will be pictures!!

Sorry you can't get babies this year, though. I was unable to last year for the same reason and I know how hard it is to resist temptation.

 

[pattyhen]

That's great that you get to pick up the chicks instead of them coming in the mail. I know I've read a lot of horror stories about them arriving not in the best of health.

Thats ok about the chicks I can just enjoy everyone elses babies. So many people are already posting pics of their chicks they've bought.

Take care and wish I wish Marge the best of luck.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh, yes, that's what I'm scared of! I don't know if I would have the stomach to open that box once it got through the mail. I've seen how eggs labeled 'FRAGILE' were handled in the mail, and that's scary enough!

I'm in several Facebook groups, and every day there are tons of new chick pictures from people. It amazes me how early chicks are being bought! I think even before I was in college, I never got chicks before April! But all of the feed stores in the area have them, so someone must be buying. And the store I get my girls' feed from, you have to walk right past the chicks to get to the feed. Talk about temptation!!



Margie's back to her usual, mother-of-the-year self now! I'm starting to think I panicked too soon and she would have gone back to the nest on her own. Hey, I'm inexperienced at this! At this point, I feel like the nosy grandmother that tries to raise the kids for you, though.


As for the rest of the flock, Elly is finally accepted back in there and getting along great, even during the cold weather last week. I'm so happy for her! She, Georgie, and Mabel are back to hanging out together like old times. Poppy, the other remaining girl from their brood, is pretty aloof, so she just kind of does her own thing.

With the nice weather lately the girls and Reub have been free-ranging a lot, and finding all of the holes in the fence that cropped up over the winter. Looks like during spring break next week I'll be doing some patchwork. Debra Jo, one of the Barred Rocks, has been out in the driveway (AKA the NO-CHICKEN zone) at least twice a day every day they've been out to range. It wouldn't matter a whole lot (beyond the breach in biosecurity that I've just kind of had to accept at this point), but she tears up the mulch over Frou-Frou's memorial garden every time she's out! Naughty, naughty Debra Jo!!

Reuben's been doing a great job keeping an eye out for the girls and sounding the alarm every time something seems wrong. So proud of my big fuzzball! He still has his moments, though. I diced up some squash for my Conure today and tossed the rest of it to the girls, and he spent so much time chirping that he missed out on it! At least the girls had a nice treat.

Unfortunately, with the recent wind and rain, the crappy shade cover is on its last legs, probably both figuratively and literally! The wind yesterday pulled it part of the way out of the ground, knocking most of the supports I put under it down and causing it to collapse. I figured the wind would just keep knocking it down, so I left it alone, but the rain overnight filled it and tore it down more. Now, there's a 3-foot tear in it on one side, and it won't stand up at all without at least 4 supports. It had a good run for a cheapo shade cover... But at least that means we'll just have to start on the permanent covered space soon!

Oh, man, Margie's babies could start hatching as soon as a week from tomorrow!! e And, even though I already posted about it really recently, 77 days until the hatchery babies arrive! That's only 11 weeks!!



Edited to fix a mistake!