What to do when everything goes wrong

[Melontine]

 

[Melontine]

Still no sign of the others hatching yet, though we do still have a day or so left.
Solo baby seems to be doing alright.
I’m wondering if I should risk something. I have a broody Orpington outside who I’m not interested in hatching eggs under, she’s been broody for months now despite my attempts to break her if it. Im wondering if maybe tonight or tomorrow night I should slip little baby Cochin under her for her to raise.

 

[Melontine]

I pulled out a bunch of the eggs, they had sadly died.
In the incubator still is;
My solo cochin kid, I'm thinking she looks like a mixed colored frizzle but I'm not sure, I had ordered the eggs online.
A struggling silkie egg, I see the little head and beak poking out, chirping a little bit, but also panting a little with blood around the edges. Poor thing is having a really rough time of it.
Three other eggs. They aren't broken enough to see inside the shell, and I messed with them a bit while applying coconut oil and didn't see or hear any signs of life from them. Leaving them in there because I can't confirm anything, but I don't think any of them will hatch.

So it may just be the one cochin.
Debating what to do with her now.
I don't like raising chicks alone, I think they need friends to help them. Especially if they're going to be joining the flock someday.
So my options are; buy more chicks of a similar size/age to raise with her in the brooder.
Or stick her under my broody to be raised by a loving mother hen.

I have a hard time trusting my hens to be good mothers. None of my silkies really managed it despite hearing how great of moms there were known for being.
This Orpington did raise six chicks last year, but she kind of struggled with it. Plus this is a bantam, extra small and fragile as opposed to the more robust and sturdy birds she's used to. There's always the chance she'll look at the chick and reject her, and if something goes wrong, well this little miracle baby may be killed.

For right now, baby cochin will stay in the incubator. I'm going to head to bed and hope for the best for the little silkie eggling. Tomorrow night is when I'll have to make the decision to slip the day-old chick under the broody or order more chicks to help keep her company in the brooder. I'd really, really appreciate opinions on this.
Although I did actually have a successful broody adoption a couple of weeks ago, I'm still terrified something will go wrong.

 

[Chicalina]

if the chick is alone, then I'd try with the broody.

 

[Chicalina]

in fact, I'd put the potentially viable eggs under the broody now. She will ensure much better heat and humidity control than any incubator can.

 

[FeatherTay]

I pulled out a bunch of the eggs, they had sadly died.
In the incubator still is;
My solo cochin kid, I'm thinking she looks like a mixed colored frizzle but I'm not sure, I had ordered the eggs online.
A struggling silkie egg, I see the little head and beak poking out, chirping a little bit, but also panting a little with blood around the edges. Poor thing is having a really rough time of it.
Three other eggs. They aren't broken enough to see inside the shell, and I messed with them a bit while applying coconut oil and didn't see or hear any signs of life from them. Leaving them in there because I can't confirm anything, but I don't think any of them will hatch.

So it may just be the one cochin.
Debating what to do with her now.
I don't like raising chicks alone, I think they need friends to help them. Especially if they're going to be joining the flock someday.
So my options are; buy more chicks of a similar size/age to raise with her in the brooder.
Or stick her under my broody to be raised by a loving mother hen.

I have a hard time trusting my hens to be good mothers. None of my silkies really managed it despite hearing how great of moms there were known for being.
This Orpington did raise six chicks last year, but she kind of struggled with it. Plus this is a bantam, extra small and fragile as opposed to the more robust and sturdy birds she's used to. There's always the chance she'll look at the chick and reject her, and if something goes wrong, well this little miracle baby may be killed.

For right now, baby cochin will stay in the incubator. I'm going to head to bed and hope for the best for the little silkie eggling. Tomorrow night is when I'll have to make the decision to slip the day-old chick under the broody or order more chicks to help keep her company in the brooder. I'd really, really appreciate opinions on this.
Although I did actually have a successful broody adoption a couple of weeks ago, I'm still terrified something will go wrong.

How’d everything go?

 

[Melontine]

The silkie hatched, I ended up assisting quite a bit. Poor baby had the membrane stuck to her with dried blood but seems to be doing alright.
Their feathers still aren’t dry, but I’m thinking it’s due to the coconut oil.

I put the two chicks under the broody hen last night, they’re still under her today, though she continues to find more eggs to sit on too.
The last three eggs I believe are non viable but I’ve left in the incubator for now.

I’m not sure she’s really accepted the two chicks yet, she pecked a bit at one but not in a way that really hurt her, and then she let the baby back under her.
I’ll have to keep watching.

 

[LaFleche]

The silkie hatched, I ended up assisting quite a bit. Poor baby had the membrane stuck to her with dried blood but seems to be doing alright.
Their feathers still aren’t dry, but I’m thinking it’s due to the coconut oil.

I put the two chicks under the broody hen last night, they’re still under her today, though she continues to find more eggs to sit on too.
The last three eggs I believe are non viable but I’ve left in the incubator for now.

I’m not sure she’s really accepted the two chicks yet, she pecked a bit at one but not in a way that really hurt her, and then she let the baby back under her.
I’ll have to keep watching.

You should take away all eggs from under the broody, so she will switch to "caring mode."

And see to it, that no other hen will be able to add more eggs to her nest, this will disturb the delicate relationship she and the chicks are just beginning to form.

 

[Melontine]

Yep, I have been removing eggs from under/around her.


Since it was late afternoon with the heat at its highest, I went and moved her down to the water dish along with the two babies. She seemed quite happy about that, clucking to them about where to drink and remaining squatted over for them.
Though I noticed that the silkie chick had an easier time keeping up and getting back under the hen as needed. The cochin chick seemed a little lost.

I went back about forty minutes later to check in on them again, mom and babies are still by the water dish, except the cochin wasn't under her, but laying a few inches away. I've brought the cochin back in to be warmed up. Poor baby, she doesn't seem hurt at all, just chilled. I think she'll be alright.

I'm wondering if there is something more to it? Like the mom has bonded with the silkie chick but not the cochin?
The cochin is a full day older than the silkie chick and is also quite noticeably smaller.

 

[Chicalina]

They need to bond together which you'll interrupt if you keep separating them. I would confine the broody with the chicks for a couple of days in a crate or box. Just keep checking on them. If a chick gets cold, put her under the hen, not indoors. But it wouldn't be lying away from her if it was, it would be cheeping like crazy and trying to get warm under her. Maybe it was just sleeping? Her clucking for food is a good sign.