Today is already a Good day! Not only do my chicks that hatched last Thur/Fri eagerly eat out of my hand, but #2 Broody hen has one dry fluffy Cochin mix chick under her. All 3 of the remaining eggs are Vigorously chirpingIf her eggs hadn't hatched I was going to see if she'd foster the 4 day old chicks. I may still give her the 2 Cochins/1 EE if she'll take them.
My #3 Broody hen is beginning day 18 today.Hope she does as well.
Great day. All 4 eggs hatched.Congragulations! Don't you just love an awesome start to a day!!!! Good luck on the remaining chicks to hatch
That is wonderful! Congragulations on your successful hatch and transplantation!!!!! What a good mama Mi'a is.Great day. All 4 eggs hatched.Last One to hatch was still wet when I came home around 5PM.I went ahead and placed the 2 Blue Cochin chicks and the 1 EE chick under Mi'a, the Blue Cochin hen. She accepted them as her own. Infact I brought home 5 day old RIR chicks, 5 day old Brown Legg'ern chicks & 3 Turkey chicks. Mi'a was concerned because they were OVER THERE instead of w/her. Couple of the chicks tried going through the hardware cloth to get to the clucking Momma hen. Isn't that something?! I didn't want to overwhelm Mi'a with too many babies to take care of. My other broody hen has left her nest at least 4 times I'm aware of long enough for her eggs to be cold. So I'm not positive her eggs are good. I candle tonight. If her eggs are no good, I'll see if she'll accept any of the purchased chicks.
That's good to know. I have silkies and they don't do the foster program! But I just got cochins so if I ever need a foster mom, I will try them and see how they do. And I think sometimes you just find that one special hen that will take care of any little chick that needs a momma. I would love one of those!I'll try for pictures of Mi'a & her babies tomorrow. Just candled Blue's 4 eggs. 2 good, 2 bad.One was never fertile, one chick died somewhere in the first week. I'd already discarded 2 other eggs last candling. If she can hatch the remaining 2 eggs, she'll be more likely to accept some more chicks to foster.
I'd been told Cochins make good Brood hens. They do, but they make even better Mamma's. I've had other hens that won't let any other chicks not their own near them. So far now, 2 of my 3 Cochen hens have taken other chicks to foster. I'm hoping Blue is as good as Gracie & Mi'a.
I would love to announce my duckies have officially moved to their new home in the barn. It warmed up enough overnight here for them to go out. The first great day of a great week I said if those ducks didn't have a home in the barn by the end of the night I was leaving them outside for the night and we would see who lived through it!!!!! My bluff worked and the bathtub once again belongs to our family! The best part is the ducks loved their new pen. Last night was their first night to sleep there and they got right in and laid down to go to sleep. Tonight when it got dark they started towards the barn. Still had to herd them some, but they knew where they needed to go. Put them in their pen and the laid right down for bed. I put a tall bucket of water in for them to get a drink if they need it and they can't spill it or jump in it and I leave a bowl of food out. With all the rain we got overnight last night, there was a huge puddle of water by the barn and they played in it all day long today! They were so dirty and I was so grateful not to have to lug them through the house.
I had two chicks hatch from over the weekend: a partridge silkie and a MF cochin. I have eggs in lockdown as of today: 1 silkie egg from one of my newest pullets and roo, 2 cochins and the rest are blue/black mottled and porcelain d'uccles.Please, please, please let the d'uccles hatch! They are shipped eggs and the best rate I have ever had live through the first 18 days. I had six of each color and put 5 black, 4 blue and 5 porcelain into lockdown!!!!!! I want them to hatch so so so so badly. D'uccles are so cute
