Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Beekissed]

You know it!!! I really like that bird! He's sweet, a gentleman to the ladies, he rarely ever crows, he was really learning to forage and was becoming a good flock master, even though it was against his natural breeding to do so. I'd love it if he could just stick around here and be the second hand man....right now the males have settled their dispute and have been foraging side by side all day,but guess who has the ladies? Fat Cochin!

He got his tail kicked all over this land but he wins in the end...wonder how that happened? Pure guts? He kept getting up and giving it back, so maybe he earned some respect just from doing that. Who knows what goes on in these chicken's heads?

 

[Beekissed]

Congrats Bee!!!!

The only thing I have to say is do you have a way to check the humidity? I've heard a stolon chick can be caused by you high of humidity.

Stolon? Tell us more, Bwana?

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Another chick out!  All chicks have been black with yellow markings so far~little carbon copies of Hootie.  Say what you will about the foo foo Silver Laced Cochin cockerel, he is really putting his stamp on all these chicks....different hens/breeds and all the chicks look like the sire.  That last one must have had a HUGE yolk because that chick's belly is bulging like he's had Thanksgiving dinner!  He also has a huge head and a very thick neck....are there times in a the hatching process when a chick will get a swollen neck from all the effort to get out of the shell? 

Both are very healthy and vigorous....and LOUD. 

Four more to go....taking their own sweet time, ain't they? 

I thank God for these chicks and for their healthy little lives.  It's been a true miracle to watch this happening in this nest and it's a dream come true to see this method working.  God is so very good! 

I'm so happy for you! Right now I have 2 pips left but dont think they will make ot as last two came out gummy. They are dry in these pics. They hatched six hrs ago. They are Scott's Columbian Rocks

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

They are so messed up I could cry. I swear Ive never lost or had a messed up chick before.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Stolon?  Tell us more, Bwana? 

Oops. I meant swollen stupid autocorrect...

 

[Zombified]

 
Bee, congratulations on your success so far! It seems like nest #4 has been your most successful. What did you do in this nest that was so different from the others?


And Bee, don't be discouraged by the quitters, even if it was something you did(and I don't know if that's true or not, I'm just saying that if it was something you did, don't be discouraged or beat yourself up). I killed I don't even know how many because of my ignorance. I don't know exactly when my two ducks(the two sharing a nest) started laying, but when I first counted(I'm guessing after like two and a half weeks or three weeks), they had 21. Today, they have 11, with three possible external pips.


Well, I hope anyway... But I didn't see any with internal pips, so I have no idea. They could just be cracks. But the eggs I candled(all of them) showed life and movement and just... Definitely looked different from the dead eggs that I found.


Anyways, keep us all updated on the progress!

Everyone has had problems this year with fertility, egg viability and fecundity due to the extreme cold we had in late winter/early spring and so I think I was experiencing the same thing....I had gathered eggs from that time period when all the embryos were dying from the cold weather before we could even get them into the house from the nests and, also, the roosters were just not able to fertilize for the same reason. 

I think egg viability was a huge part of it and also the learning curve~definitely the case in the first few nests.  The third nest I was confused as to humidity, especially near the end.  This nest had more viable eggs, the temps were maintained carefully, humidity was added at the beginning of the set and then no more...broodies don't add humidity and each chick humidifies the next, and so on.  I made the soil deeper, then layered leaves and then hay....no deep litter or composting materials in the base of the nest and this might have had bearing on maintaining temps as well.  More mass makes for a steadier, more radiant heat at the center of the nest. 

Pete had me turning X 3 a day instead of 2 or 4 times due to better fluid wash over the surface of the egg with the odd number of turnings, so that helped, I'm sure.  Actually, Pete's advice about the humidity was utilized in this nest as well, and also a hand's off policy during hatching, so he really added some good solutions to this nest.  Kudos go out to my good friend, Pete! 

I experienced a huge loss of 8 active chicks on the 18th day and I have no idea how or why....unless I had sustained temp spikes in the night or something, I can't imagine what could have happened.  I don't think I had a spike because the temps have been very stable and manageable in this nest.

 
Haha! That's really admirable of you. Anyone who fosters is so awesome to me, because I don't know if I could do it. I would just get too attached, and I'd end up taking all the children under my wing. (Pun not intended.)

I've always wanted to foster also and I think that is possibly one of the most compassionate things a person can do in this world today...to rescue a child.  Everyone talks about rescue dogs but hardly anyone realizes how many kids need a good, stable foster home.....how much better it would be if all those kind, compassionate people out there rescuing dogs could rescue children as well.  It could literally save a life. 

Thanks for that quick rundown. Thanks, Pete, for your additins to the thread. I'm so happy that this was successful. I wonder how this will take off? What will it be called? Broody Incubator? Nest Simulating? Hen-wannabe-ing? I'm really excited to watch this develop. I can't wait to try it with my ducks. Just gotta be when I can be home, and that won't be for a while. =/

I agree with you about the fostering. I'm very, vert into dogs. I read anything and everything ahout dogs. And while they have it pretty bad in the abandonment department, I don't think it's anything compared to the amount of orphaned kids we have. I wish more people cared about others. This kinda makes me want to adopt...

Well, back to broodies. I have three external pips, but I can't hear anything. I'm pretty sure they're still alive. I hope they are. =/ But it has been raining a lot... But that area usually stayed really dry. Fingers crossed!

 

[Zombified]

Oh, Tumbkeweed, that's awful... I wonder what could have happened?

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

I'm so happy for you! Right now I have 2 pips left but dont think they will make ot as last two came out gummy. They are dry in these pics. They hatched six hrs ago. They are Scott's Columbian Rocks

I would wash them with baby shampoo or dawn then lightly blow dry them. They should be fine.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm so happy for you! Right now I have 2 pips left but dont think they will make ot as last two came out gummy. They are dry in these pics. They hatched six hrs ago. They are Scott's Columbian Rocks

Other than this stickiness, is there anything else wrong with them? Are they moving about like they should? Maybe you could get in touch with Scott and see if he has any insight to this?

They are so messed up I could cry. I swear Ive never lost or had a messed up chick before.

I understand.

I'm praying for you and your hatch.

Thanks for that quick rundown. Thanks, Pete, for your additins to the thread. I'm so happy that this was successful. I wonder how this will take off? What will it be called? Broody Incubator? Nest Simulating? Hen-wannabe-ing? I'm really excited to watch this develop. I can't wait to try it with my ducks. Just gotta be when I can be home, and that won't be for a while. =/

I agree with you about the fostering. I'm very, vert into dogs. I read anything and everything ahout dogs. And while they have it pretty bad in the abandonment department, I don't think it's anything compared to the amount of orphaned kids we have. I wish more people cared about others. This kinda makes me want to adopt...

Well, back to broodies. I have three external pips, but I can't hear anything. I'm pretty sure they're still alive. I hope they are. =/ But it has been raining a lot... But that area usually stayed really dry. Fingers crossed!

And for yours!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Tomtommom, congratulations! My partner and I are considering having a child ourselves. We're both very young(adults, but still young), but I've always wanted to have a baby young.

Amelia is a beautiful name.

Its best to do it while you're young. Those kids are energetic and you need to be able to keep up with them.

I'm so happy for you! Right now I have 2 pips left but dont think they will make ot as last two came out gummy. They are dry in these pics. They hatched six hrs ago. They are Scott's Columbian Rocks

They're alive aren't they? Did they hatch completely on their own? Do you still have them in the incubator? Are they extremely lethargic? If they hatched 6 hours ago, they should be up and moving around. I shared with somebody a couple days ago about a chick she had that wasn't doing anything for several hours and how I'd experienced the same thing, long ago, and the best remedy was to leave them in the humid incubator. The next day showed a major improvement. Maybe yours will too? Also, if they're not moving around could explain why they still look wet.