brambles Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Learner broody and owner here! Mrs Doyle the cochin has sat tight on her bantam eggs. She has nine which were viable a week ago, so I'm hoping all is still well. We are currently on day 19. I'm worried that we might have disturbed the arrangement when we lifted her to poo today. Please calm me down! I understand that disturbing the eggs in the last few days is not good but had to lift a couple back into the nest that had rolled off her feathery feet. One seems to have a crack in the top side but I haven't heard any cheeping yet. Any thoughts on when they might hatch? She's sat pretty tight the whole time. When can I expect to hear cheeping and how soon after that is pipping and hatching? I have marriges med. chick crumb, a chick drinker and a piece of turf as a slope back into the eglu. Bars are out and eglu full of aubiose. Anything I've missed? Should I prep the dolphin music for the birth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Hubby has discovered that chicks like having Mozarts Symphony number 40 whistled to them (I know it's sad but this is a true story!) Beethovens 9th was met with contempt, not a fan of Chopin either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Good luck with the hatching! I hatched 7 bantam chicks in an incubator, 6 of them hatched on day 21 and 1 on day 22, and I found that they were all out of the shell quite quickly after pipping. I wouldn't worry too much about the eggs that were disturbed - it must happen fairly frequently, not that I have any experience of hatching with a broody - but my chicks that hatched later in the day were being rolled around in their shells by the earlier hatchlings for several hours and were fine. I hope all goes well - keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Oh dear not a good start. One dead chick in a broken shell in the run just outside eglu door. What's happened there then? She's still sat tight and I can hear nothing peeping. Fingers crossed for the next few days. Should start to hear peeping tomorrow as it's day 20, although with this broody anything could happen! At least she's getting off for a poo and going back on by herself now instead of being chased back in with a broom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Sorry to hear that - perhaps that was the egg that you found the crack in earlier. The broody may have pushed it out of the nest if she knew it was dead. Fingers crossed for the others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Provably so. It was perfect too, she had pecked a lot of the shell away. Is this Normal, behavior? She ate one if the eggs the day we sat her so I hope I'm not harboring some sort of vampire. Fingers crossed. I think I preferred my two births without benefit of any drugs to this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 with my broody last year I looked her in on day 18 with food and water 'till about 3 days after the last egg hatched had one DIS that I'd given the benifit of doubt to I going to follow the the same routine with the one I've got on the go now. day 21 is Wednesday lock down from monday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Lockdown sounds interesting, can you explain more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 you just leave the door closed untill after the eggs have hatched and the chicks are all dry and fluffy I put food and water in with the broody but I'm not sure weather or not they use it. I think lockdown helps maintain humidity and the low light level/dark broody coop help to make the broody feel safe the only draw back is the first broody poo after lock down is evil the smell scours the back of your throat and nose broodies much be programed not to poo in the nest area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlotta Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I've never considered shutting a broody in the house for hatching... Maybe I should be?! I've never had a prob so far leaving them to it, they seem to want to stay put regardless... What does everyone else do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 The eggs are cheeping. I am so excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 One little fluffy chick so far, scooted back under mums huge bum. Six to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Congratulations Bramble hope you get more soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlotta Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 How exciting!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Four and another on the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I've never shut mine in, merely not removed mum from the nest for a daily constitutiona........and yes broody poo stench is something else Congratulations Brambles & mum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillM Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Phew thanks. The surviving four are out and about in the run with mum. Five hatched but one died soon after. Another didn't make it out of the egg and a further two didn't hatch. My girls done well on her first hatch and is teaching her babies how to be big girls and boys now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Congratulations. Good to hear all went well and sounds like the chicks are already settling into a routine with their Mum. Any pictures to share? Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
