Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: tatiana916 on July 02, 2012, 18:44
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Set eggs under my broody for the first time last Sunday. Its also her first time. eeeeeek!!
So excited its been the longest week already, can't believe I've got two more to go!
We've had a lot of things go wrong so far so fingers crossed for hatch day (15th July)
I set 3 silkies, 3 polish and 3 sumatras under her, she's a pied sussex hybrid, called Batman and a VERY aggressive broody!
We lost one silkie when she kicked over the broody box and it rolled out and she stepped on it and then started chewing the egg :ohmy: but thankfully that was on day 1.
Now her friend, Wolverine a giant Bluebelle Hybrid is determined to keep jumping over the fence to join her :wacko: grrrrr keep waking up to find her all snuggled up with a very cross Batman.
Anyone got experience with broodies or hatching eggs in general as I'm a total newcomer and kind of playing it by ear!
Anyone welcome to join as the more advice the better!
Or if anyone set eggs under a broody or in an incubator would love to hear from you as I've never hatched eggs before so I have no idea what to expect or when. All I know is I'm mega excited for hatch day!!
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Basically, let the hen do it all - it's nature's way and far better than using an incubator. She'll turn the eggs and disgard any that are not viable. Eggs can take anything up to 24 days to hatch (sometimes longer, but this is rare), so if she is still sitting tight after day 21 don't be tempted to move her - she'll know when to leave the eggs that haven't hatched. All you need to get ready for hatch day is chick crumb and a shallow drinker - if you've not got one of those place pebbles in the drinker. it's to stop the chicks falling in whilst having a drink. Mum will teach them the rest. Just sit on your hands - I know it's hard!
A word of advice - keep the other hen out of there - she'll try and pinch the eggs and they'll fight, which could break the eggs. Or they'll spend so much time pulling the eggs back and forth between then that they don't get to the proper temperature and none will hatch or they'll be deformed.
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Agree to let the broody sort it. You may need to lift the broody off once a day to feed and have a ginormous poo, they are not alwyas good at sorting themselves out! :)
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Hi tatiana, you might find this thread interesting http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=73884.0
Good luck with your hatch :)
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@HelenaJ I'm not too worried about Wolverine pinching the eggs as she's the most unbroody hen around! Although I know Batman will snatch her eggs in an instant. I'm more worried about her stepping on them. She got in twice this morning :mad: so I've had to rebuild everything fingers crossed its kept her out until I can check after work!
Already got chick crumbs and I'm off to pets at home to get a mini chick sized drinker.
@Sassy I'm struggling with getting her off the nest. She's usually terrified of the garden broom I usually only have to pick it up for them to be fighting to get back to the safety of the coop. Yet this morning I had it wrenched round her chest trying to pull her off yet she would just scramble back onto the eggs so I'm resigned to the thought that when she needs it she will go on her own accord.
@Casey76 wow those pictures are really fascinating. where about in the Alsace do you live I used to live in a tiny village called Seebach near Wissembourg and Lauterbourg, that's where I first learnt about keeping chickens I loved it there.
Thanx for everyone's advice. Keep it coming!
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hi,welcome to the world of fluffy chickdom. I had a disater with my oripngton eggs, one of my hens got into her broody coop and actually ATE her eggs that were a week away from hatching! :( all my effort gone to pot! :mad: I had already bonded with them through candling and seeing the little things develop. I lifted my broody girl twice a day to poop, and eat drink strecth have a wee dustbath if she needed. I heard that some hens actually starve themselves or poop on the eggs as their instinc is so strong! I wore two pairs of leather gloves for protection (I used to wear oven gloves but were too clumsy) and actually lift her from under her wings making sure no eggs are stuck to her plucked chest, or under wings) once she was on the grass she would continue to sit, so I had to kind of fluff her up and offer her a treat so she would snap out of it long enough to eat and get some "me time" :tongue2: all the very best with the hatch and you must let us see pics!!!! :)
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The broody will get off when she wants they do eat and drink just not when u are around
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Oh no nic that's so sad!! 2 weeks of anticipation aswel! I've built a fortress round Batman now so fingers crossed it finally stays Wolverine proof til hatch day!
I've put food and water next to her because she hadn't drunk any water for days and we had a sudden hot spell last week so I thought it best to move it to her. I've been giving her mixed corn and fresh berries and cucumber all cut up in small pieces -I know I spoil her too much ::) is that an ok diet? Tried to steer away from layers pellets as they're probably not much use to her at the moment. I put poultry spice in aswell and poultry cider vinegar in the water.
She has been off for a very big poo but that was last Saturday :wacko: I know she hasn't popped in the nest because if its anything like Saturday I'd be able to smell it before even going in!
She has had an almost coral coloured comb the last few days. It started when Wolverine first jumped in so don't know if she got a bit over stressed/nervous. It looked a bit redder today so fingers crossed
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nic 28 has good advice :)
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you sound all set! its very exciting. In very hot days I would lift her to water as when mine was on the nest she was stuck there, in a trance wouldnt eat or drink anything (I tried and tested lifting vs not lifting, and I decided to go with the lifting as I didnt want her to deteriorate , also didnt really trust her to look after herself as it was her 1st time..maybe Im the clingy mother!) To make sure she would eat efficiently I mixed up a pellet/porridge oat/mixed corn/veg porridge, quite watery (extra fluids) and she gobbled it down, and sat back on the nest with a big fat crop. Her comb will go really pale, it alarmed me at first but its normal. Ive been told its because theyre putting all their energy into being a mum, but Ive also been told the fading comes from a hormone change thats responsible for making them broody in the 1st place :/ either way dont worry. I Look forward to your news! Im hoping one of my girls go broody again soon so I can try again :unsure:
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Yayyyy less than a week to go!
Checked on her this morning as I'd been away for a few days and she'd pooped the nest GRRRR :mad: Should have taken everyones advice and kicked her off the nest before I went away.
But when I moved her I noticed she'd laid an egg??? Is this normal? Thought they didn't lay eggs when broody :blink:
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It's very unusual, but it could have been an egg "left in the pipeline". She couldn't have pinched it from anywhere else?
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Thought it was strange but I managed to wrestle her off so I could quickly nab it and it was one of Wolverines eggs. She must have quickly laid one when she jumped over the fence last week.
So excited only a few days to go now! Checked on them this morning and they all felt nice and warm.
I'm all set for Sunday. The area they're in at the moment is a concrete floor so I covered it in newspaper and a layer of straw and sawdust so they're a bit more comfortable and I got a special chick drinker after reading horror stories about chicks drowning :ohmy:
Really hope this week speeds by though, I know I'm going to be up at the crack of dawn to run out there and listen out for some little cheeps! :lol:
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Read your thread with a smile on my face all the way as hatching was one of the best and most nerve wracking things I've done :lol: the highs and lows oh and the drama, it's like being pregnant all over again (thank god we do not have to wait 9 months for a hatch huh?!) Good luck with your hatch can't wait to hear fluffy news :)
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Thought I heard cheeping this morning :D ran back into the house and pulled my boyfriend out of bed and dragged him to the coop......turned out to be a standard wild/garden bird :wub: Ooops! Better make sure I'm 100% sure next time!!
Batman is being more aggressive than normal, don't know if that means she can feel something changing under her?
Also how long will it be until she comes off the nest with them? I'm assuming its not going to be the first day but I hope they poke their head out!
Fingers crossed for tomorrow!!!!! And I'll try and distinguish between a chick and a wild bird before I get excited next time!
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WE'VE GOT CHICKS! came home and heard them! Lifted her up a little bit didn't want to intrude on her too much and there was a little grey and black chick with a black face and beak. I'm assuming they might be silkies as I've heard they can hatch early but might be a sumatra. I'll upload some pics first thing!
Yay so happy! :lol:
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:D Me too! four chicks hatched out so far and three eggs to hatch out (hopefully). :D
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Oohh, good luck to both of you, hope you get lots of fluffy little chicks. Don't forget pics tho!
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Congratulations to both of you. Looking forward to the chick pics. :D
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WEVE GOT A BLEEDING CHICK!!!! :(
I took her out immediatly and I've put her in a small box under some makeshift heatlamps.
She's very lively and looks like she had mites, weve stopped the bleeding, washed the wound a little, and rubbed a small amount of mite powder all over her.
We then put her into a small box with straw and a dry flanel, next to a radiator and a lamp to stabalise the temperature at bang on 32 degrees celcius.
she seems really lively, and rather happy, and couldnt stop peeking her head out of the wrapped up cloth just to look at me while my partner madethe box up, now after all that madness I was hoping for the best advise on anything else to do? :(
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why have you taken her away from mum?
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because she was bleeding and the mum had feathers in her mouth from pecking her.
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oh I see sorry OOPS I thought your I'VE GOT A BLEEDING CHICK was excitement at the chick arriving. I have now read in a completely different context and it makes sense :blush:
I hope all is well this morning. Any more arrivals?
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Chick is doing fine, she was VERY lively at 5 this morning!! ::) going to give her another clean so she's got no blood on her. I'm keen to get her back to mum as soon as possible. Is this a good idea? Or now that she's been separated will the mum reject her?
I think what happened is when I moved her off to get the empty egg shells I think she stood on one. Which may have been the source of the wound.
Still just the three so far. I think there's two silkies (one of them is the injured one) and a sumatra. They kept poking their heads out this morning so at least I know they're fine and she isn't rejecting them.
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sneak her under but then keep a close eye on her and mum to make sure mum isn't attacking her. Broody hens are very prone to mites and lice so as soon as mum brings the chicks out for food and water give the coop a really good clean. Put something like frontline on the mum.
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At the moment I'm quite reluctant to put her back as she still has a very large red gash under her earlobe and only one of her eyes will open. I've cleaned all the blood from her feathers but the wounds are still very visible.
I've given her a sugar solution this morning which she took to very well and still has lots of zest for life!! I'm so happy that she's so active. She's constantly scurrying around or cheeping. The wounds don't seem to have affected her at all and there was no mites on her this morning
With regards to the frontline, do I just use cat frontline?
Thank-you for everyones advice so far, you've all been so helpfull. It's horrible not knowing what to do to save the poor bundles of fluff!
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I'd dab a little gentian purple violet on the cuts with a cotton bud stick to disguise the blood before you put the chick back.
Cat or puppy strength Frontline on the hen (not the chicks).
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On a happy note we've had 3 hatch under Batman, one sumatra and 1 or 2 polish which is great because I couldn't decide which breed is my favourite!
Congrats bantam novice! Did any more hatch throughout the day? What breed are they?
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We have six chicks with mum and one keeping warm in the incubator that needed help hatching. Three of ours are millefleur sabelpoots. and three are pekin/silkie crosses. The one in the incubator is a sabelpoot. It is rather weak and I'm not sure it will get through the night.
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Oh fingers crossed for your little one! Hope she makes it through the night. Is it worth giving her a sugar solution? I've been giving it to Phoenix my injured silkie chick and she's doing a lot better, although I've never had chicks and can't watch the others so I don't have anything to compare her to sadly.
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:( sadly she didn't make it. On the other hand the other six are doing fine with mum keeping a close eye on them. She is still "sitting" on them most of the time and hasn't led them outside yet. not surprising with this weather! I covered about half the run with plexiglass to keep them dry.
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oh poor little baby.
Glad to hear the others are doing well though.
Put Phoenix back under Batman she seemed very lost on her own and I didn't think it would be fair to try and keep hand rearing her as she cheeps for me every time she wakes up and always wants to snuggle in my hand which as cute as that is she's not going to learn much from me and after seeing the other three already drinking and eating I just thought it was unfair. She can't see out of one eye and I'm hoping she will eventually be able to find the food and water like the others. She does wander around a bit lost though but as soon as she sees what she wants in her good eye she charges right for it.
Still waiting on 4 eggs how long shall I wait? I was going to take them away tomorrow evening then its given them two days for any late hatchers.
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they can still hatch up to 4 or 5 days afterwards so don't panic too much :)
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Here are the little cuties
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This is Phoenix on her good side.
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Don't mess with mummy!
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gorgeus pics :)
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they can still hatch up to 4 or 5 days afterwards so don't panic too much :)
Came in this morning to find that she had kicked all the eggs out of the nest and they were cold to touch. I candled them and one was infertile and three others were heavier and had air sacs so I'm guessing they died towards the end?
Either way I'm still chuffed with a 50% hatch for our first time and with so many dramas!
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yes if she has kicked them out then she knows they aren't viable :(.