I have fidgety fingers...desperate to get those duckies out but waiting on that pip.
It is zipping, but oh so slowly.
Shouldn't complain, its only been official hatching day for 3 hours yet most are out already.
Jophoto: I have pretty good shots of my chick hatches, just struggling with duck pictures. Humidity needs to be higher so condensation is more and there's a lot of hot little bodies in there making it worse. I take photos and DH & I write articles for magazines which will also eventually be a book (hopefully) so I like to get good pictures but am struggling with these guys...
I'm just starting lock down this afternoon and I was wondering...........................
I got 2 eggs under my silkie and because I didn't trust her (she's young) , I put the rest (10) in the 'bator........ she will not be able to keep those chicks in the nest box its too high, I tried moving her early on but no success............ is it possible for me to put her in the brooder box, nest and all and let her be in there with her eggs through hatch then stay with the chicks AND the chicks that will be hatching in the 'bator AS they hatch (and dry)???? will this work or will she be agressive toward the new chicks? will she even take to her new home? I can't have her with chicks in the coop, it's NOT chick worthy.
thanks
There are 3 eggs under her still. Our hatch date wasn't expected til today. Then TXMom was saying they hatch earlier under a broody. So I wanted to leave them through today just to be on the safe side. I was planning on leaving them til tomorrow or W, but at this rate, I'll be a nervous wreck with dead chickies, so I think when I do my last run, I'll remove them & candle one last time to be sure. I'm pretty sure they're duds anyway. If I remove them tonight will she immediately turn Momma instead of broody, or will I wake tomorrow to another out of the nest? They should start eating today or tomorrow, too. Should I take the eggs now, candle & remove or leave them til tonight? Tomorrow?
(raimnel) I say you could definitely try it, and see how well it works. She may do very well since all the babies would be the same age, she might accept them.
I put my Silkie in the brooder last August with her 2 hatchlings and 10 chicks from Ideal. She was aggressive to the other chicks, but they were a week older and I think she KNEW they weren't hers. I kept them separated (brooder is 4' x 4', so I put a screen down the middle) for about a week, then ended up putting her back outside and I raised the chicks together in the brooder. They got along fine.