Raising Baby Chick-Along

[orrpeople]

My Olive Egger (24.5 weeks) decided to join the laying party today! Happy New Year!

View attachment 1223721

So cool! What's her breed cross? Our OE is a BCM \ EE cross.

 

[AUChickenGal]

So cool! What's her breed cross? Our OE is a BCM \ EE cross.

She came in a hatching egg assortment I ordered from MPC last summer, so I can't be certain. Based on her phenotype, though, my best guess is that she is a Crested Cream Legbar/Welsummer cross. She's CRAZY, flightly, and tiny, but she laid a very respectable size egg for her first time, and earlier than I expected, so I have to give her props for that.

 

[orrpeople]

She came in a hatching egg assortment I ordered from MPC last summer, so I can't be certain. Based on her phenotype, though, my best guess is that she is a Crested Cream Legbar/Welsummer cross. She's CRAZY, flightly, and tiny, but she laid a very respectable size egg for her first time, and earlier than I expected, so I have to give her props for that.

Haha!! Yeah, my legbars are super flighty as well - my 55s too. But they do lay eggs - so yeah, like you, I can give them credit for that and overlook some of the ridiculous behavior.

 

[Jessimom]

Ok lockdown tonight! I have 2 TINY birds brooding right now. I moved out all the other birds in their coop, and they are all alone in this little grow out coop.


I gave the larger smooth frilkie 3 eggs. She didn't really try to pull them under her, so I shoved them under the best I could. The smaller one, that won't let me get a look at her, didn't seem like she wanted any. I checked them a half hour later and one egg was not all the way under. I pushed on the egg and she FINALLY grabbed it, tucked it under and fluffed up. I checked an hour later, still puffed up on the eggs. I checked an hour later, and she was still covering them. Checked again this morning and she is doing great. If she taking good care of them all day today, and into tonight. I'll lock down whatever she can't fit underneath her. We think the tiny bird in with her is not broody, just joined at the hip with the Frilkie - she never leaves her side. I think she is a mille fleur. We're checking our silkie pen to see if there are any broodies in there and we are going to move at least one nto this coop just in case. My broody silkies have been awesome moms.

 

[orrpeople]

Ooohh, so exciting! Can't wait!

 

[Jessimom]

Ooohh, so exciting! Can't wait!

I forgot to say, the photo of that coop, has the parents to these eggs in it. I think you can see the splash on the left.....

 

[calichicken]

Good luck! GO broody momma'smy girl Fiona is SLOWLY coming out of her broodiness...5 weeks later

 

[Jessimom]

Ok, here are the 2 broodies, I'm not sure what the brown one is. Doesn't look like it in this photo, but the black one is a Frilki

We put in one of our netgear cameras, and I noticed that when the black one got up, the brown one ran after her and they stayed out for about 25 minutes. Is that normal for a broody? The weather was right around 60 when they went out.

 

[orrpeople]

Ok, here are the 2 broodies, I'm not sure what the brown one is. Doesn't look like it in this photo, but the black one is a FrilkiView attachment 1227609

We put in one of our netgear cameras, and I noticed that when the black one got up, the brown one ran after her and they stayed out for about 25 minutes. Is that normal for a broody? The weather was right around 60 when they went out.

That seems a little long, but I've not actually timed mine before - they do dust bathe, and that can be a bit time consuming. @WVduckchick what do you think?

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok, here are the 2 broodies, I'm not sure what the brown one is. Doesn't look like it in this photo, but the black one is a FrilkiView attachment 1227609

We put in one of our netgear cameras, and I noticed that when the black one got up, the brown one ran after her and they stayed out for about 25 minutes. Is that normal for a broody? The weather was right around 60 when they went out.

That seems a little long, but I've not actually timed mine before - they do dust bathe, and that can be a bit time consuming. @WVduckchick what do you think?

That long on a regular day wouldn't bother me, but are these the same eggs that are in the final stages?? Due to hatch shortly?? I'm wondering if maybe giving them the eggs late, they don't yet understand that they are about to hatch.

But... in 60° temps, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Once they start feeling movement in the eggs, they should stick tight to the nest.