When will she show them to eat?

[magicpigeon]

It's amazing

I had to rethink about the containers though. They upturn very easily so I solved the problem by using the little porcelain bowls you put under flowerpots (The name evades me

). Here is a pic:

They still dirty the plates but at least don't waste food by dropping it

Anyway, the chicks can last a while without food but after 24 hours and they haven't eaten I'd try to intervene. Use your index finger to scratch the food a bit the way you'd imagine a hungry chicken would. Get a little droplet of water on your pinkie and deposit it on one of the chicks beak. Chances are, it will drink, and you can direct it with your wet finger to the water. Make sure it's shallow- I leave mine at 1cm - not that they drown but also how fast they can dry up in your weather. They might get a chill if the fluff on their heads get too wet

Don't try to force it, you might get water in it's nostrils. I have faith in your hen though- she sound so cute

Mine was a hand raised chicken and she doesn't mind when I come over to feed her

 

[dldolan]

Those fluffy's of yours are SOOOO cute! OMG, makes me want more. Chicks.
Chicken Math strikes!

So, all my worry was for naught... went out and mama came over when I put some treats in for her. Called the babies, showed them where her treats are, then marched them over to their own food and water. What a good mama!! I saw them dart out from under her several times today to run get some crumble or a drink. Nature works!

She did let me pick up one babe who ran over to me without a velociraptor attack, so that was heartening.

Showing them her treats:

Showing them their food and water:

 

[magicpigeon]

She looks so cuddly! Compared to mine, she did great during the, ahem, rigours of motherhood. Mine lost half her body weight and half her feathers, too. She was muddy and fleabitten-looking, and I checked her more than 10 times for mites, she looked so bad

Mine decided to show hers a camelia seed pod today. Not surprisingly, they couldn't eat it and though hungry, decided to wander off instead of putting faith in my starter crumble. It wasn't wasted though; another fluffy laying hen decided to gobble it up when she thought nobody was looking

How many chicks did you get in total? Out of 15, 2 weren't fertilized, 3 were DIS, 9 hatched on their own and 1 had to be helped out. I suppose I did ok, mine's a pullet and this is her first clutch.

 

[dldolan]

As this was the first time I let this Blue Cochin raise a clutch, I only gave her 5 BCM eggs I got locally. ALL five hatched, but one was 36 hours slower than the rest, and momma kicked it out after about two hours. I noticed that it wasn't moving right, so i think Mrs. Hen knew best. So 4/5 healthy fuzzies! (So awesome! I called the guy today to thank him and let him know--these were some of the first fertile eggs he'd sold, so he was really pleased with an 80% survival rate!! Who wouldn't be??

)

I'm keeping mine locked up for the first two weeks because of the Marek's prevalence here. Gives them a better chance, I hope, after I innoculated all of the Fab Four. I love to see your cutie-patooties out on the grass! I can't wait! Hope the rain slows so she can take them out in the orchard...

I've heard that cochins and silkies make the best mothers! My other blue cochin (sister to mama) heard the peeping under her sis and promptly went broody. Sigh. Can I get more eggs?? Can I, can I??

 

[magicpigeon]

Ah, I want more too

I will have to sell mine eventually (blame the parents), but the good news is I've got another clutch of 20 on the way which I am presently trying to sort out all the duds XD. The broody on that clutch is my (featured)'s sister. She's a second time mother, though due to unfortunate circumstances she abandoned her eggs after 11 days and started laying again 2 days later...

I'm hoping this time she'll do a little better.
I'm raising all of mine "au naturale", right now...leaving them to their own devices at night, to forage for their own food. Their mother was raised almost completely wild and has a lot of motherly instinct. Bar me, she won't let anyone come near her! Honestly, I'd prefer cochins over silkies any day.

Aside from the fact I have an instinctive dislike of small chicken breeds, the five toes get to me. Still haven't gotten used to that...

Your birds are so cute

You have to promise to post more pics of them! promise!

 

[cabincrazyone]

What fun to see your photos and read your thread. Bless you both!

 

[dldolan]

Cabincrazyone: Thanks! Blessings are always welcome!

magicpigeon
I am trying a color project, with BCm, AM's and Cochins, but keep coming back to how much I adore the cochins, and think I'd like to try and create an ameraucana x mille fleur (or splash) cochin cross breed... Should be beautiful, a bit heavier than the Am, and still have nice temperament... Too funny we both have sisters that are broody! I am going to give sis some eggs in a few weeks when I get what I want... I'll keep tossing her out of the nest for now, so she eats and walks around witht he other girls, but this is her 2nd time broody in 2 months, so....I don't think she'll give up.

 

[magicpigeon]

Quote:
Thanks!

dldolan- I know! It's...scary

I'm hoping for a 3rd to go broody as well, but she was an incubator hatch and I'm not sure if she still has the instinct. Right now I try bribery. I give her a handful of pigeon seed in the morning - this trumps layer pellets any day - and as a result I usually get an egg. Except when I sleep in and get out to feed them later than 8:30 in the morning (usually I'm out by 7:00) This is interesting, as while all my other silkies lay white eggs, hers are pinkish and in my opinion, so cute!

I'll try and get a pic sometime, they're so small and ... sweet...
It's almost impossible getting mine out to eat and drink though. At least you can

Mine kick, scratch and bite ... and resolutely run back in 5 minutes later. Today with the help of my sister (LOL More than one species with siblings) I managed to get her out to look at her eggs. Now I'm down to 20. I hope they hatch, I want to see what partridge x white silkie looks like.

I hope your eggs hatch. I'm already way above the limit - still convincing the folks to get me a pair of bobwhite quails - so any chickens I meet here on the 'net are like meeting real chickens! Yeah, I know, social recluse

but oh well it's been so nice meeting all you friendly people

 

[cabincrazyone]

You know a hen has gone broody when she stays in the nest all the time ...... right?

 

[dldolan]

Yep, that's about it. Before I set eggs under mine, I gave her two 'fake" eggs for two days to make sure. No budging, so gave her the real deal! Whoopiee! Now ihave the Fab Four...