Chicken bald back

[sarabb4]

Hello!

I currently have a blue partridge pekin sat on 5 eggs. I have candled them all a couple of times and I'm fairly sure that there is only one developing. I might be wrong. I hatched 2 broods about 5 years ago and I remember thinking that I couldn't see much with most of those!! (They all hatched!)

 

However it IS just one chick- does that pose problems? Is it more at risk when I introduce it and mum back to main flock?

Any advice/thought please?

 

Also - I've done it before - but can't remember! The eggs are currently on straw- is that ok when "chick " arrives? Have got chick crumb and suitable drinker etc!tia. X

[mimi5]

Hi! I've just hatched with my pekin and had a 100% hatch I candled day 11 and could see development in all the eggs and I'd never candled before. I did go on youtube to watch videos first to get some know how

 

One chick will be lonely and cold once mum decides to move on......

 

What day of incubation are you on?

[sarabb4]

We're on day 14/15... Just candled again and fairly certain only one has developed. Disappointing.

[green16]

We weren't able to candle our eggs that have just hatched but we did have several mornings when we found 2 eggs had been kicked out of the nest overnight (they were stone cold). We just kept shoving them back and amazingly all 6 hatched at the same time and so far no sign of any weaker looking chicks.

 

I only have experience of having 1 older chicken on her own and she got depressed very quickly. I'd be hoping if you raise it near the rest of the flock they will welcome it when you put them altogether. We've already found our other 2 chooks took on a caring role to the chicks when 1 escaped.

 

Hope all goes well for you. Good Luck

[sarabb4]

So. Arghhh!!! Today around 10.30 this morn - I heard chirping!! So excited..

About 2pm Broody vacated coop so I managed to glimpse the egg I think has a chick in. A v. Small dent was visible in shell!!! Even more excited! However, now nearly 8pm, not heard any more chirping all day and nothing hatched. Am I still in a "normal" timeframe. Mama hen is very good and patiently sitting. I am not! I am worried the hatch has failed! Any thoughts?....

[mimi5]

Ok so what "day" are you on? Did you leave your hen on all the eggs? I would check in the morning when mum has her eat, drink poo time! Obviously if it hasn't progressed any further than a dent and no movement or sound it has failed It can take a chick a good while to breakout and they do take rests.

 

Please let us know how you get on

[sarabb4]

Counting the first day as 0, today was 21...

I took out an egg about 3 days ago and it was obviously infertile.

I took another out today and that was also infertile. Which leaves her sitting on 3. One definitely has a chick in, one is blue and I'm giving the benefit of the doubt and I strongly suspect the other is "clear"...

The last time I let a broody hatch we heard cheeps in the evening and they were all hatched and running about the next morn.

Will be sooooo disappointed if the one chick made it to hatching and failed..I am disconcerted by the lack of chirping now..

Will report back tomorrow!

Thanks for getting back to me...

[sarabb4]

Also wondered if the fact it has been quite cold here today wd make a difference...

[mimi5]

Just realised you have Ron!! (from the cockerel muffling post!!)

 

So are they your eggs?? I have so far had 100% hatch rate with my own eggs and poor success with any bought hatching eggs.

 

I guess if this hatch fails, once you have another broody you could give it another try??

 

I've got 8 chicks, which are mostly 2 weeks old today (the rest tomorrow) But it looks like 5 boys and hopefully 3 girls So I'll have some re-homing to do

 

Let's see what tomorrow brings

[sarabb4]

Hey!

So I just managed to get a glimpse, 5 mins ago and I have one super cute, fully hatched, fluffy, yellow chick!!I have removed the egg I thought was dodgy and it was indeed infertile. I have left the blue one in there, as it is very dark by torch light. I will remove it tomorrow tho as I am very doubtful of a good result!!

The one that has hatched is a purebred partridge pekin- so really hope it is a hen! Yes Mimi5 Ron's progeny! One of the reasons I did this hatch was in the hope we'd get some of his offspring as I expect we will have to rehouse him soon.

Fingers crossed for lone chicks progress now!!

I had forgotten how small chicks are!!

[mimi5]

Ah, all that waiting was worth it It would be best if the egg other also hatches......let's hope so!

 

They are very tiny and cute and fluffy Enjoy

 

Were they all your own eggs??? That is a poor hatch rate Could you try again??? Or maybe get a couple of other day olds? But it can be risky with intros for the mum

 

When you say pure partridge and the chick is yellow........that doesn't sound like partridge colouring to me Did you say blue partridge?? Not a pekin colour I've heard of before. I had a gold partridge and a sliver partridge, sadly both gone now, but their babies had striped markings when they hatched......

[sarabb4]

Funny you should say that. I've removed the broken shell and on closer examination I had written. " w" on it. Which would suggest it was an egg from our Wyandotte bantam. Which means I've got a Wyandotte(silver laced?), pekin partridge cross!!! I think it's going to be wait and see anyway!!

I did contemplate getting some day olds, but the whole point was to hatch "our own" eggs, so probably won't. I have set 5 more eggs under another broody hen, with vague intentions of putting them under this one if the entire hatch had failed... They are only 6 days along tho. I candled them this morn and I would say only one is fertile.. Again!! So I will give them a few more days, but probably give up if more not looking good..

It would seem Ron is perhaps not the most potent!!! ....

I admit the one time I did this before I had 6 out of seven hatch - even the one that didn't had developed- that's why I didn't set too many this time, as wd have accommodation problems if hatched too many!

As for the blue/gold partridge- I get very confused! I have one gold partridge pekin hen and one blue partridge pekin hen.. Ron was sold to me as a blue partridge(but Iike you I was only aware of the gold previously!)

The chick is yellow with I think done grey markings- but I didn't get a very good look!

[mimi5]

Ah another mystery chick then Mine have apart from one all been mixes.

 

I've always had a millefleur cockerel and Mr Max is a beautiful darker shaded one Martha (mum) is a black pekin (but those on here and me after looking at pics thinks she's a bantam orpington cross!) she was sold to me as a mottled hatching egg But.....lots of her babies are mottled looking colouring Polly my other hen is a diluted gold partridge x millefleur. Her 2 babies look partridge colouring. Last hatch I had a lovely girlie hatch from a silver partridge x millefeur, she look wheaten colouring with a hint of grey in her fluffy knickers Wanted to hatch from her, but sadly lost her to sour crop (after a heavy moult ) she hadn't started laying again yet this year

 

How old is Ron and is he with lots of hens?? Max is not 2 yet, but has obviously been busy he only has 2 hens. I would candle your eggs day 10 as you will be able to see clearly any development.

[sarabb4]

From what I was told, I believe Ron is about a year old. He is in with 7hens, 2 Perkins like him, 1 pekin cross, a Wyandotte and 2 legbar crosses and a Maran bantam. They all seem very contented, but I think at least 2 of the hens are too big for him, ahem.. Also, although he is the only cockerel he is the youngest of the flock and I think has quite low ranking!

Lucky you Mimi! Wish we'd managed a couple more chicks.. I'm worrying about my loner as mama hen has so far shown no inclination to show chick food or water. I hope removing the final (unhatched- if that's the case!)egg will galvanise her to do some mother hen things!....

[mimi5]

I had to google "blue partridge pekin"-images. Ah lovely but really quite like a gold partridge

 

Your chick should be fine for 48 hours, but yes if the final egg is a dud, remove it and mum should move in to action! Is she a pekin? I have only had pekins as broody hens, but they have been brill Martha at the moment is so sweet with the chicks....all 8 of them, trying to ride on her back and generally all over her She makes a good climbing frame and slide

 

So, next worry....do you have a girl or a boy

[sarabb4]

Yes Mama is a pekin and when I hatched with pekin broodies before, they were faultless mums.

 

Pleasseeeee let it be a girl!!!!