Starting staggered hatching adventure

[Redhead Rae]

I never had trouble with their butt fluff. I think that older ones spurs could be the problem. Have you watched him mate the girls? My roo was bad about the sneak attacks, but fertility was still high. I suspect the big spurs are not sitting well with the girls.

He has a REALLY fluffy butt. His spurs are long, but the girls aren’t showing any signs of wear on their backs. I havent seen him mate the girls. Whenever I’ve been outside to watch them, he’s been on guard, watching me, the whole time.

 

[WVduckchick]

He has a REALLY fluffy butt. His spurs are long, but the girls aren’t showing any signs of wear on their backs. I havent seen him mate the girls. Whenever I’ve been outside to watch them, he’s been on guard, watching me, the whole time.

Sounds like you do need to get the trimmers out. That could be an interesting adventure, if he watches you that way.

Aren’t the chocolate babies just adorable though? Worth the trouble, I’d say.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Sounds like you do need to get the trimmers out. That could be an interesting adventure, if he watches you that way.

Aren’t the chocolate babies just adorable though? Worth the trouble, I’d say.

The one I have hatched is VERY cute. Hopefully I get 4-5 more with this next batch! I would have sworn the baby was Lavender or Blue from the fuzz coloring though. But I know where the baby came from so....

 

[Redhead Rae]

Well, it turns out my Dark Cornish hen is a bad mommy.

I went out to check on her and the chicks this morning. 4 of the chicks had found a hole in the netting between the sides and had gone over to the other hen and the DC hen was still on the nest with two babies clamped tightly underneath her. She was pecking them if they came out. I pulled her off the nest and brought the babies outside. Moved the 4 babies back over to her and got the stuff I needed to repair the netting. Before I could do the repair, one of the older chicks from the buff I had next to the DC hen made its way through the hole and the DC hen viciously attacked the chick. The chick was alright, but scared. As I was repairing the hole. I watched the DC hen scratching and trying to show the chicks how to forage. However, if the chicks got in front of her when they looked at what she was scratching, she would peck them and pick them up by the scruff and throw them to the side. She also stepped on the babies and wouldn't get off them when they screamed because she was hurting them. The biggest tell to me, was the chicks kept balling up in the corner to stay out of her way and keep warm. I put the DC hen in with the other DCs (I need to put together a broody breaker for her) and gave the chicks to the hen I gave 4 babies to last week. She took them gladly! Molly really wanted them, but she already has 7 chicks that are 3 and 4 weeks older than these babies. Well, now I have a place to put my broody Dominique/Buff until more eggs hatch.....

 

[aart]

OyVey!!!

 

[Redhead Rae]

Sadly, the poor beleagered chicks have been rejected again. I don’t know if it was the chicks or the mama that did the rejecting, but I just went outside and I found 4 of the 6 chicks huddled in the corner. One was trailing along behind the hen and one was standing in the middle of the pen looking thoroughly dejected and miserable. I gave the dejected looking one a drink of water and it perked up. It occurred to me that I hadn’t introduced these babies to the rabbit bottle. I gave the dejected baby a drink and grabbed the other 5 chicks to get them a drink as well. They went crazy for the water and started fighting over the waterer. At this point, the hen came over and started pecking at the babies, particularly the cheeked oops chick and the Chocolate Orp baby. She wasn’t being ANYWHERE as mean to them as the Dark Cornish hen was, but I wasn’t leaving them with her. The Dom/Buff has been off the nest ALL day and she showed no interest in the babies. If she is on the nest tomorrow, I might try introducing the babies to her tomorrow, but I’m thinking these babies may already be beyond accepting another hen. They were certainly really happy to be back in their brooder.

 

[Redhead Rae]

One of the 6 chicks I hatched last week died. I think the day of being picked on by hens and not knowing how to drink out of a rabbit bottle did it in. It was the one the was standing in the middle of the pen gaping and looking miserable. I was thinking it might not survive because it was smaller and slower than the other 5 it hatched with. It's still sad though.

 

[aart]

One of the 6 chicks I hatched last week died. I think the day of being picked on by hens and not knowing how to drink out of a rabbit bottle did it in. It was the one the was standing in the middle of the pen gaping and looking miserable. I was thinking it might not survive because it was smaller and slower than the other 5 it hatched with. It's still sad though.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Ok, a lot has happened since my last post. Yesterday, I had five healthy Chocolate Orp babies hatch out. Last night, I gave them to my broody leghorn and she took them and is being a great mommy. You can read about it on this thread: Rare, mythical creature in my poultry pen (broody white leghorn).

Today, I had a shock. I candled the 7 remaining Cornish eggs out of that batch of 9 (that I discovered after I thought my Cornish hens stopped laying), on Saturday when I moved the Chocolate Orp eggs into lockdown. To my eye, the Cornish eggs were at least 3-4 days behind the Chocolate Orp eggs. I was going to candle the eggs this evening, but I looked into the incubator as I was passing and saw an egg with a pip. I immediately opened the incubator and started moving the eggs into lock down. It was then I found an empty egg shell. A chick was trapped between the wall of the incubator and the turning cradle and had a huge rub blister on its thigh from rubbing against the cradle while trying to stand. The chick is being cared for as well as I can and it is doing well for the moment. You can read about it on this thread: Unexpected hatch. Chick rubbed raw on turner.

I have the other 6 eggs in the lock down incubator and I'm waiting for them to hatch. I moved the 5 chicks that were rejected by 2 mamas into the coop this evening and transferred the chick with the friction burn to the indoor brooder so it has access to food and water. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the other eggs. The injured chick will be updated on the second thread above.

 

[Redhead Rae]

So, we've had 4 Cornish chicks hatch so far. Starting on Wednesday, we've had one each day to today. I thought this would happen. After I put my broody Cornish hen back with the other two in my breeding trio, the second hen started laying again and the broody was incubating these eggs from the word go. I have 3 eggs left in the lock down incubator. Maybe I'll have 1 or 2 more hatch. We'll see how it goes. The Cornish stopped laying for a bit after I took these eggs from them, but they are back to laying again.

Sadly, the last two batches of Chocolate eggs I put in the incubator have all been infertile. I really need to go out there and trim some butt fluff and work on the Cock's spurs.

I have a dozen mixed flock eggs in the incubator at the moment so our neighbor's Granddaughter can watch them hatch. All of those eggs are fertile. I'm taking one of the Franken-bators down to their house to hatch these eggs in. I'll give them some basic instructions on what to do. Hopefully they don't screw it up.