Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: oddpaws on August 08, 2009, 13:44
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:D, just went out to check my lady on her eggs and I HAVE A BEAK!!!!!
There was one broken shell, but no chick and this little beak sticking out of another and the other 3 still intact.
What would have happened to the one from the 1st shell?
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maybe it's hiding under mum's wing.
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Did check there but there was no sign of it. the other hens cant get to her as we kept her separate
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haven't got rats have you? i can't see mum eating the whole chick and not leaving any debris and i can't think of any other reason it's missing.
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leave alone dont want mum to stand on it, its hiding having a nap hard work this hatching lark for them. good luck xxx
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Nope no rats at presen and they couldnt get in to her anyway. We made it rat proof on purpose.
I will leave her be for now and just pop in to look from above without moving her. I may get a glimpse.
This is so exciting :D
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It is very exciting, i have seen chicks legs between mums legs and where her bum is they get out of the way of hatching chicks very cleaver little ones are.
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ok thanks, next daft question though....how long, roughly does it take the chick to hatch out?
I was so determined to be all cool and laid back about this and now Im feeling like a clucky hen :lol:
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Your lost chick will be stuck to mum's underside in the feathers probably. If you lift her be very careful not to drop it. If there are other eggs to hatch probably best to leave her for a while.
I once had a broody sitting and my daughter brought home some supposedly fertile eggs which she put under the hen. I decided to leave her to sit, though she wasn't isolated from the other hens in the laying house. Over the next few weeks each egg was broken due to other hens trying to lay in the nestbox until only one remained. One morning I lifted the hen to find the last egg had been broken. I put the hen down on the grass and started to clean up the nest box. Then I noticed a weak little chick chirping in the grass and I realised the last egg had hatched and I'd lifted out mum with the chick stuck to her. I put mum and chick in a broody coop and the chick survived and grew up unfortunately into a very nasty aggressive cockerel so this story didn't have a happy ending for him.
Best wishes
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Just went in to peak from a distance. I didnt see anything but did hear some cheaping! So I know that there is at least one alive in there at the moment. Happy days. At least they are safe ina brooder with mum for now, cant wait to see them :D
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One fluffy yellow chick so far. 3 more eggs intact :D
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ahhhh, congratlations hunny- fingers crossed the others will be ok xx
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glad you saw one ha ha, mum will sit tight untill all hatch, its is a waiting game does not help your nerves. If mum thinks theres a chick inside she wont leave the eggs its just so wonderfull.
Hatching I have never timed it some can hatch from the first pip ( hole) in about a hour some take longer its hard work and they take lots of rests,,
but I have had some hatch 24 hours after the first one has hatched, IMHO fresh eggs hatch on the due date or even 24 hrs before stale eggs can take up to 4 days past due date to hatch.
So if broody is still sitting just leave her, chicks are ok for 3 days without food, have you got the food and water ready for them?
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Thanks for the info, Yep food water and seperate run and house for mum and baie(s) is all ready. Surprising really as I am not usually so organised :blink:
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this may sound dumb but is she in the house with run now?
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congrats! It wont be long before you see them, they dry up and start to run about pretty quickly :D
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Snowflake, no she is in a big broody house with a small covered run where her food and water is
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right oddpaws sorry think I lost the plot hee hee, have you got chick crumbs ready for the chicks, I have seen broodys crush up pellets in their beaks to feed the chicks so sweet. I remember my mum hard boiling eggs shelling them and mashing them up for the chicks oh well time moves on.
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:lol:Know the feeling snowflake, yes chick crumbs are there and at the ready. No more babies yet as far as I know but I am leaving her to it as she is STILL sitting. Begining to know how it feels to be an expectant dad :ohmy: