Pips, Peeps, and chicks EVERYWHERE! 10 total so far 2 more pips to go

[LoneCowboy]

Well, I think I got my days messed up cuz I thought friday was day 18 and I had 2 pips last night in the bator. Now I have 2 chicks, 5 pips, and who knows what's under the 2 broodies.

I went out to check on them and OMGosh, there was the hugest massivest, grossest (are any of these words?

) poop I ever saw. It's all over her. So being the dedicated mom that I am, I reached my hand under there

and scooped out most of the poop (making sure I had clean shavings between me and the poop. But it's all over her bum. I got a warm towel and tried to clean as much as I could, but as she lifted up a bit, I saw little chicky legs under her. So, any major clean up is going to have to wait a few days.

So, I know I have at least 3 chicks so far and lot of pips to go.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Well, I have 8 chicks hatched out in the bator, 2 more pips and only 3 that I haven't seen any pips on yet. This is going to be my best hatch percentage yet!

Each of my 2 broodies has 1 chick each, at least. So that gives me 10 total so far. I'll let these broodies raise the bator hatched chicks too. Just got to get them a larger place to hang out.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Yay chickies!!

Just be careful adding babies to a broody. I did that just fine with two of my broodies earlier this year. I tried again about a month ago, and 2 of them were pecked by her so badly that they died the next day. Some hens will take as many as they can get, others seem to be more picky.

 

[junebug7334]

Well I need a broody hen......suggestions? I want to hatch some eggs but want to try under a hen first before I go down to my friends 'industial' bator and brooder

 

[LoneCowboy]

get some eggs from Zunibee's Blue jersey giants. They seem to go broody a lot.

Which for some people is a real plus. They seem to be good moms, and really big to handle lots of eggs.

My blue Amercauna was a real sweet heart as a broody. She'd let me feed her treats in her nesting box and she'd gobbled them up. The Jersey's tended to take broodisim much more seriously. They were grumpy and wouldn't take treats. They acted much more like they were supposed too.