Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[helsbels]

Hello all you helpful people out there ! My broody speckeldy Babs is sitting patiently (more patiently than me it has to be said ) and we're on Day 18 and think I have potentially 5 cream legbars on the way. But I'm not sure what to do ..... should I still take her off once a day now or do I let her sit tight? Also she's made a nice hemcore nest but its a bit elevated as it was the remains of a bale which she chose to occupy - should I flatten it a bit to make it easier for the chicks once they have hatched ?

 

and when do I offer chick crumbs and water - as soon as the first one is out ?

 

ooooooh - cant wait we've never done this before so we're all learning as we go

[Redwing]

Leave her to sit now

 

Soak a bit of grain or some pellets in water and place some near her head a few times a day just so she is getting something, if she doesnt eat it dont place any more or you'll just end up piling it up and risking it spoiling

 

remove her existing water in a couple of days if its deep enough for a chick to drown in and replace it with a shallow dish of water or a chick drinker, freshen the water daily as I doubt she will drink untill the chicks are a couple of days old but its worth having it there

 

At day 21 place a dish of chick crumbs down

[helsbels]

thank you redwing - have followed your advice - lifted her gently off yesterday just to check all ok and one of the eggs had pipped sooooooooo excited - checked this morning and no further progress - hope all is ok - it is only day 20 - when do i start worrying that it cant break free

[helsbels]

just been to check on her and one of the chicks was dead in the shell - had pipped yesterday but had not been able to break out - it was an enormous chick in a smallish egg with a very hard shell I'm worried for the others now - what should I do - I can hear lots of cheaping and the other 3 have all pipped - i dont want to lose another one - poor little thing

[pipistrelle]

I have no personal experience but my daughters school has just done the chicks in an incubator thing and the owner helped a few by cracking a bit of the shell.

 

Hope you get an experienced reply soon and good luck.

[meezers]

Have the others hatched yet ? Muppet was sat on 4 eggs, the first hatched friday am, the 2nd friday pm, the 3rd sat am ( I think ) and the 4th, I helped out of it's shell as it had made no progress by sunday am. Muppet had also left the egg, so doubt it would have hatched without intervention. All chicks now doing fine.