4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[loopy12]

3 of my 9 hens have gone broody in the last month. One I have loaned out to someone, one is missing in the bushes, I have seen her once in 5 days but was unable to grab her, and the third broody, Buffy, is sitting on some eggs!

 

I went to buy 2 new hens yesterday (ended up with 4 new ones - oops) and happened to ask if she had any hatching eggs I could put under my broody. She very kindly gave me 6 eggs due to hatch today! 2 were already pipping.

 

I just checked under Buffy (Buff Orpington) and one gorgeous little Black Australorp was under there, another egg is pipping and a third had opened part way but there was no movement or peeping coming from it. I can see its little chest (I think) and there's no sign of a little heartbeat This is the first time I have hatched eggs. Do you think its dead, and if so, what might have killed it? Should I open the shell to check?

Edited June 14, 2009 by Guest

[Redwing]

If it has pipped and cracked then it should be ready to hatch, you could try removing the shell but be careful and stop if i is stuck to the chick or if there is any sign of bleeding, use some kitchen roll moistened with warm water to dampen the edges as you go

 

Usually if there is a problem hatching then it is not meant to be and lots of people choose not to intervene

[loopy12]

It was definitely dead

On the bright side one more is pipping and I think I heard cheeps in another though was difficult to hear over my toddlers excitement!

Will update later. Fingers crossed the rest will be ok.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sorry to hear the little one didn't make it . Good luck with the rest though .

[tidygirlsuk]

I'm sorry to to hear about the last one. I had a fully formed one die while hatching too. I hope every thing goes ok with the others.

[loopy12]

Progress report:

2 live chicks now

1 dead in shell chick

3 eggs not doing anything yet

[loopy12]

So, this morning we still only have two chicks. Nothing happening in the other 3 eggs. Will she give up on them, and when or will I need to remove them? When I got them on Friday night she said she epected them to hatch within 24 hours - so how long should I wait?

 

Aso chick #2 is smaller and weaker than chick #1.

#1 is scampering around, climbing all over Buffy, cheeping away but #2 is still less fluffy, is very wobbly on legs and quiet. It hatched about 6 hours after #1. Should it still be so wobbly on day 2?

 

Any help greatly appreciated!

[Redwing]

My two chicks hatched some hours apart too and one is more active than the other, the second one didn't really get up and running for a few days and is smaller than chick one.

 

I put it down to them being different breeds

 

Both are absolutely fine now

 

I would leave the other eggs in there for a day or so more

[loopy12]

Thanks, I'll leave the eggs another day then. After that Buffy should be up and about with the chicks I reckon. I offered them some chick crumbs just now and it was the sweetest thing to watch her teaching them to peck. Fluffy picked it up quickly and enthusiastically and #2 even ventured out from under Buffy to take a look and have a go. #2's fluffing up a bit bit and looking a bit less fragile now, so maybe it is the difference of a few hours between them that makes a huge difference.

 

Will post pics later when I find my camera cord.

[loopy12]

Pics, as promised:

 

Buffy with chick #1

 

Teaching both chicks to peck and eat

 

 

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Beautiful photos . What a proud looking mum .

[Cooks]

cute chicks

 

Is that second blue bowl for water? if so you might want to choose a more shallow bowl and place marbles in it to prevent the chicks coming to any harm.

[atsw]

Pics, as promised:

Oh, how wonderful! Your pictures have put my mind at rest on the issue of bedding. My buff orp is currently brooding on straw and I was worried the chicks might struggle to stand and walk about. You're chicks seem to be doing fine, so I'll worry less now.

 

 

Also, did your Buff Orp seem to go more orange while sat on the eggs? I have a pair and they get a lot of sun this time of year, which has faded their feathers. However, the broody (who's been sat in the broody box for 13 days now) is very much more orange for being out of the sun for two weeks! I ask, because your girls looks really well coloured too.

 

Andrew

[Chickvic]

Lovely pics

[atsw]

Is that second blue bowl for water? if so you might want to choose a more shallow bowl and place marbles in it to prevent the chicks coming to any harm.

Yes, that's excellent advice. Chicks seem intend on drowning themselves if at all possible . Not knowing better, we lost one to that fate over the half-term week while chick-sitting for friends in the village. Do everything possible to prevent them getting into the water.

 

Andrew

[craftyhunnypie]

Ahhh lovely! The lessons in life that a hen teaches its chicks are absolutely amazing!

 

Emma.x

[loopy12]

Yeah the second bowl had water in it but only about half a centimetre. I'm paranoid about them drowning so they have a proper chick waterer with added pebbles in it that I moved to take the picture.

 

Buffy's refused to drink from the chick waterer and since it was well over 90 degrees today I have been taking her water every hour in a bowl just to make sure she's ok. She's still glued to the eggs so outside of a ten minute jaunt to eat and um, poo, every day she's not drinking - thus my hourly drink offering.

I'm not sure who is being more of an overprotective mother hen - her or me!

 

Andrew: Buffy has only been broody (and indoors) for a week (see original story about the adopted eggs) so I haven't really noticed any colour change. She's my only Buff Orpington so I can't compare her to any others to see.

As for the straw, it seems fine. They are very lively and kind of jump about rather than walk and are sooo light the strands of straw barely bend under them. One keeps scrambling up on Buffy's back so they are remarkably agile, though their balance isn;t great - chick #1 keeps trying to copy Buffy;s preening but tumbles over every time it tries to scratch or peck its feathers.

I could watch them all day!

 

 

Presuming the eggs don't hatch tomorrow and I remove them, will Buffy be likely to stop nesting? What should I do if she tries to carry on sitting on an empty nest? At the moment she's more worried about the eggs than chicks I think.

[teri]

Yeah the second bowl had water in it but only about half a centimetre. I'm paranoid about them drowning so they have a proper chick waterer with added pebbles in it that I moved to take the picture.

 

Buffy's refused to drink from the chick waterer and since it was well over 90 degrees today I have been taking her water every hour in a bowl just to make sure she's ok. She's still glued to the eggs so outside of a ten minute jaunt to eat and um, poo, every day she's not drinking - thus my hourly drink offering.

I'm not sure who is being more of an overprotective mother hen - her or me!

 

Andrew: Buffy has only been broody (and indoors) for a week (see original story about the adopted eggs) so I haven't really noticed any colour change. She's my only Buff Orpington so I can't compare her to any others to see.

As for the straw, it seems fine. They are very lively and kind of jump about rather than walk and are sooo light the strands of straw barely bend under them. One keeps scrambling up on Buffy's back so they are remarkably agile, though their balance isn;t great - chick #1 keeps trying to copy Buffy;s preening but tumbles over every time it tries to scratch or peck its feathers.

I could watch them all day!

 

 

Presuming the eggs don't hatch tomorrow and I remove them, will Buffy be likely to stop nesting? What should I do if she tries to carry on sitting on an empty nest? At the moment she's more worried about the eggs than chicks I think.

 

My broody sat for a week before i got her some eggs. all of them failed to hatch so i binned them after almost four weeks. she then continued to sit so a few days later i got a dozen more eggs and she rewarded me (and herself ) with seven beautiful chicks (pictures on forum) so it may be worth giving it another go if she continues to sit after a few days of taking her eggs away. good luck