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

[Isabel]

Day 21 here so just had a look. One had hatched and quite frankly looked dead! Lifted it out and removed a piece of membrane from it's head, pressed it's tummy really gently and it cheeped!!!! Hope it makes it. Put it back under Mum cheeping away. Could see a Maran egg starting to pip. Was a bit naughty as I picked it up for a look and then let my 10 yr old hold it as it was vibrating and absolutely amazing . Trying to leave all alone now for a few hours!

 

Isabel

Edited May 12, 2012 by Guest

[Purplemaniacs]

Glad that the little chick seems ok.

 

As Redwing told me, you must now sit on your hands Mine were in an incy though.

 

Good luck with the others.

 

Chrissie

 

[Isabel]

LOL! No-one ever mentions how difficult it is to stay away and let nature take it's course!! As a matter of curiosity how long does it take a chick to pip it's way out? I'm guessing several hours at least? Have promised the kids that we'll check at lunchtime.

[mimi5]

Congratulations!!! It is also day 21 here!!!! It's been stressful as my broody pekin Milly kept pooing in the nest and it got all over the eggs!!! (was worried none would hatch!!) But we have one cute fluffy chick and another chipping!!!! My broody is so viscious I only just managed to get the empty egg shell out and a quick look!! But it's so sweet hearing the cheeping!!!!! So after worrying we might not get any hatch...I'm now wondering if all 6 will hatch?????

 

Going to be really good and not look again till tonight.

 

Hope to post some photos soon!

 

Best wishes and keep us posted!!

[Isabel]

You're much more disciplined than me!! Hope they continue to do well.

 

Little chick is dead It was okay at 9.45 but floppy and just lying there - suspect that was 2 hrs or more after hatching. When we checked just now, it was right under her and dead with some blood near it's rear end. Sigh. The egg which had a little raised crack now has a hole and we can see a black beak wiggling around. We are not looking again until 5/6 hrs pass from now!!!!!!!!

 

Am really worried that the other eggs - none piping yet, had a good look - won't do anything. I thought that 5 of the remaining 11 looked good. Is it still early days?

 

Golly, I wasn't even this anxious pre-babies!

[Kirstie]

How exciting xx it is sooooo hard to not look and peep but I guess it alters the humidity of egg by lifting mum - not that I'm any better as you know from my posts

 

I too was more nervous with the eggs hatching then giving birth myself - the first time we hatched I told people id rather give birth again then go through that!

 

I'm sorry your first chick hatched didn't make it it's so emotional but it sounds like you couldn't have done anything to help it x and it won't be long before you have some more chicks cheeping away filling your time with just watching them!

Don't worry about your eggs that haven't pipped yet they probably aren't ready yet ! I've read posts on here where people have had eggs hatch at day 24 so be patient (impossible I know ) x

 

Good luck x let us know how it's going - but not until later as we will all know you peeped!

[kinsk]

So sorry about your little chick

 

Day 21 here aswell, our are in an incubator though, can't tell you how much up and downstairs there has been to check on progress we have 4 hatched so far. I am just about to go out for a ride to get myself out of the place for a while

[Isabel]

Feel really bad about the little one and wonder whether it would be alive if I hadn't stuck my beak in. Can't chane anything now. Had a look in our chicken books and compared to pics it was just really floppy and unresponsive so maybe simply wasn't going to do. Have to open the door to clean out some spilled corn which I don't want any chicks getting hold off but not going near Nigella this time.

 

Kinsk - I wish ours were in an incy just now - at least we could watch them!! Good luck!

[Purplemaniacs]

Sorry to hear about the little chick.

 

It was lovely to be able to watch ours in the incy as they hatched but I felt I worried more because I see the progress or lack of it all the time, whereas perhaps with a broody perhaps nature takes its course more, we helped two chicks out and I know that is a no no

 

Hope you have some lovely healthy chicks soon Isabel.

 

Congratulations kinsk on your chicks, we had our incy in the kitchen so we spent loads of time watching

 

Chrissie

 

[Isabel]

We have a chick - phew!! I couldn't help myself and peeked a couple of times. He was nearly round the shell at 3pm and was out and fluffed up at 7pm. A lovely Cuckoo Maran - hope it's a girl! At 7pm, there was another Maran which had just pipped and the others were all quiet. A quick night-night check a while ago revealed the second Maran to have made a small hole and it's chirping like mad. Three other eggs have pipped (a Maran and I think two Wyandottes) so fingers crossed for at least four more live chicks by morning.

 

There are 10 eggs in there and I was pretty confident of five of them, fairly sure a couple were duds and uncertain about the rest so who knows!

 

Anyway, spent last night dreaming of foxes (one ran back and forth across the garden three times yesterday evening ) and chicks so probably more of the same tonight!

 

Thanks for all the advice today! Will keep you updated.

 

Isabel

[Isabel]

Two more hatched overnight. A third had pipped at 9.30pm last night but is no further forward than a small hole in the shell. Is this okay? It's moving inside. I was sure another Maran had pipped but there's no sign of any action on Marans this morning so I must have been seeing things .

 

The little one which hatched yesterday afternoon will be okay without food/water for a few more hours I think? Mum isn't moving off the nest. Food and water in the broody house and door closed to keep Mum sitting tight.

[Redwing]

They will be fine for now, resist lifting the broody though as the broody will have optimum humidity under her fir the eggs to hatch

[Isabel]

Thanks Redwing.

 

Bad news from our camp. I gave Mum some corn around 11am when she was on the nest which she gobbled up. A little yellow head peeked out so the last pipping egg hatched. The kids wanted to show Granny the 24hr old chicks which was fine except the smell out of the nest would have knocked you over. Nigella had done a huge broody poo in the nest and I had to lift her off to clean it. One dead yellow chick lying underneath her. What one earth is going on? It was a Wyandotte from the same batch as the first dead chick. The man I bought them from said that he wasn't sure whether they were fertile as he hadnt tried the cockerel yet but I was happy to take a chance. I wonder whether it's the genetic make-up off the chicks or did Mum lie on the little one and suffocate it.

 

I'm thrilled with our other three chicks who all seem very healthy but am browned off that of 12 eggs we have 3 living chicks, 2 dead chicks, 2 definite duds which I disgarded/exploded and 5 sitting under her doing nothing ... does that add up to 12 ! Anyway, there's still hope for the others so her roof is on til morning now.

 

- I showed the oldest chick the food but he didn't seem to interested. Another worry - will he be okay if he doesn't

figure it out before morning? It's about 14" away from the nest as there isn't room in the nest for the feeder.

 

Sorry this is such an essay, I'm just getting it all off my shoulders ... and wondering how soon we can try another hatch?!

[mimi5]

Isabel, I didn't say in my other posting, but I was SO convinced the eggs which had been pooped on 3 times by Milly wouldn't hatch, that when one of my other pekins went big time broody for the second time in as many months!!!!! I decided to get her some hatching eggs from a different breeder. So she is on day 6, sitting on 6 pekin eggs!! Mad I know, but I'm new to keeping chickens and didn't realise how broody pekins are!!!! So hopefully some pekins in different colours from that batch.......maybe, not counting my chicks yet!

 

Also, I lost my lavender hen to a crop problem and have had my cockerel suffer with gapeworm, so all in all steep learning curve!!!! I thought some chicks as additons to my little gang would cheer me up and having invested in a cube...there's room!!

 

Still nothing happening here with the other 4 eggs Just got to play the waiting game as advised......