babychickens321
Songster
Both of our hens went broody at around the same time and at the start, only one of them was actually sitting on eggs. we didn't let the other one because we didn't have eggs BUT a few days later our friend gave us 2 eggs to hatch under her so we put the eggs under her.
Now our first broody's babies hatched a week ago and they're doing fine apart from one which is so much tinier than the other one and also very slow in developing but that's another story but anyway our second broody has been broody for around 4 weeks.
I think the eggs are dead or something, I did candle them yesterday and on one it looked fully developed and there was a giant air sac but STILL there was no pip and the other one's veins are still showing through the light and it doesn't look ready to hatch even though it should be. I doubt either of them will hatch but I feel really bad for the hen because she looks SO SAD when she sees the other one walking around with chicks on top of her and running behind her but im probably seeing things but anyway could I sneakily shove one of the chicks under in the night. that would mean that each hen only has one chick (because there's two chicks in total) and I don't know if the chicks will feel lonely without each other because they seem a little attached but I don't know. I want to give her some chicks because I feel so bad for her: she's been sitting on eggs the longest and she's the one out of two who suffered the most, her bone on her stomach is SO SHARP even though she eats and stuff. The first broody wasn't as skinny after she was done because her nest was in the conservatory so she was always just THERE so I would frequently go to her and give her strawberries (because it was hot) and food. the other one was in the garden so she wasn't FAR away but I saw her less and there was food in the coop but she rarely got off the nest but I made sure she ate after waking up and before sleeping anyway.
half my post is waffle but what im trying to ask is if it would be okay for me to get one of my baby chicks from my first hen and give it to my second one, but it will be a lone chick. And one is stronger and the other is visibly weaker so would it be better to give the stronger one to her or does it make no difference?
thanks for any advice!
also my first hen sometimes gets a little panicked if she doesn't see one of her chicks in her sight at all times.
Now our first broody's babies hatched a week ago and they're doing fine apart from one which is so much tinier than the other one and also very slow in developing but that's another story but anyway our second broody has been broody for around 4 weeks.
I think the eggs are dead or something, I did candle them yesterday and on one it looked fully developed and there was a giant air sac but STILL there was no pip and the other one's veins are still showing through the light and it doesn't look ready to hatch even though it should be. I doubt either of them will hatch but I feel really bad for the hen because she looks SO SAD when she sees the other one walking around with chicks on top of her and running behind her but im probably seeing things but anyway could I sneakily shove one of the chicks under in the night. that would mean that each hen only has one chick (because there's two chicks in total) and I don't know if the chicks will feel lonely without each other because they seem a little attached but I don't know. I want to give her some chicks because I feel so bad for her: she's been sitting on eggs the longest and she's the one out of two who suffered the most, her bone on her stomach is SO SHARP even though she eats and stuff. The first broody wasn't as skinny after she was done because her nest was in the conservatory so she was always just THERE so I would frequently go to her and give her strawberries (because it was hot) and food. the other one was in the garden so she wasn't FAR away but I saw her less and there was food in the coop but she rarely got off the nest but I made sure she ate after waking up and before sleeping anyway.
half my post is waffle but what im trying to ask is if it would be okay for me to get one of my baby chicks from my first hen and give it to my second one, but it will be a lone chick. And one is stronger and the other is visibly weaker so would it be better to give the stronger one to her or does it make no difference?
thanks for any advice!
also my first hen sometimes gets a little panicked if she doesn't see one of her chicks in her sight at all times.
