Is it ever easy?

[di]

Well,there's just a few days to go before,hopefully,Dandelion's eggs hatch.
When I got up there this morning I got a real knot in my stomach.From the gate of our lottie I could hear her making really agitated clucking sounds...very similar to those that Marigold made when she abandoned eggs at about the same time as Dandelion is up to.
When I opened her coop all actually seemed well,she calmed down & had some food & water.Unfortunately,it wasn't until I checked her box...have been doing daily for signs of mite...that I saw what initially looked like a very bloodstained poo...I know blood in poo is not good!Turned out to be a pretty much fully formed chick,the shell was broken & not totally visible until I moved her a little.
I'm really starting to wonder if letting a broody do your hatching really is the easy option?That said,I'm sure come next year when they start being desperate for babies again I'll find it impossible to deny them some!

[RichmondHens]

Agitated clucking suggests something may have got in and raided the nest (assume the chick was dead) eg rat. If it had hatched normally she would be quiet. Hope this is not the case. Is it not possible to have the broodies in your garden so you can keep a closer eye, and transfer them to the lottie when chicks are a few days old?

Poor old you, you're not having a good summer are you? Hope the rest of the eggs hatch ok.

Having said I would NOT hatch any more this year I have two more broodies and thinking of shoving some more eggs under ...................... hoping perhaps late hatch, more females?

I'm a traditionalist and still think natural ways of incubation, ie hen, is the best.

[di]

Absolutely sure a rat couldn't have got in.
I wonder if she stood on it whilst getting food/drink?

Your home is going to be over flowing soon...but if it's what "they" want!Good Luck if you do.
I do really agree that under a hen is best,although we loved hatching some in the incubator & really enjoyed watching them grow & being able to have the cuddles,it doesn't come near the magic of watching Mother hen clucking over her babies.Just a shame that so far the only two times we've had a broody on eggs anything that could go wrong,seems to have!...always next year,don't care how persistent any of them are before then,they can just wait!
Think we may take your advice & in future have them sitting at home,although the allotment is only a ten minute walk,there are times when it's tricky to be there to keep an eye on things all day.
Thanks.

[RichmondHens]

Yes she may well have stood on it, but not sure that would explain her agitation. On the odd occasion I have found a squashed chick the hen has just been sitting on it seemingly unaware.

I agree watching them hatch in the incubator is lovely, but every time I would go for getting a hen to raise them. Will do a dual hatch again this time - some under the hen and some in the machine - then put all hatchlings under the hen for her to raise.

We have plenty of space so no problem with "overflow", just the daily routine gets ever longer the more birds we have! Having now got everything to the grower stage (except the partridges) I wasn't sure I wanted to go back to having more chicks in a coop (moving daily, frequent checks etc). Mind you, we will soon be at the culling stage for some of our early cocks - they have a few more weeks of freedom left!

[di]

Thought our fun & games last night deserved a mention on here.
We moved the teens in with Marigold yesterday,ready for the boys at home to go in their coop/run.
Had a friends wedding in the evening so it was a little late and very dark when we went to shut them in.
When we went in the run we saw Pip & the boy Buff huddled on the floor by their old gate,but assumed the rest were in the coop.Popped the two boys in and discovered only Marigold & Girlie Buff were in there....so five others were unaccounted for.Two were perched on the top of a fence post,another on the top of their old gate,one more on another gate...leaving one missing.Finally found her sat sleeping on top of the run mesh covering,hammock stylie!
The funny thing is,our lottie neighbour had offered to shut them in for us as we were out,but we'd decided as they were in a new coop it was best that we did it...kind of wish we'd asked him afterall!
Thankfully they were all dopey & half asleep,so moving them to bed wasn't too bad...just the finding them!

[bluemoon]

Lol! We went up to shut ours away very late one night last week - we're usually there for a couple of hours before dusk, but things have gone a bit pear-shaped here over the past few days - anyway we were searching high and low for Esme (one of the copper black marans), we hadn't taken a torch and were stumbling around using the 'light' from OH's mobile phone. We eventually found her on her perch where she belonged, but she was hunkered down so well we couldn't see where she was.

[di]

Bluemoon!....get yourself a torch!

Would just like to say that all the stresses of the last couple of weeks are now but distant memories...we(sorry...Dandelion!)have three very lovely little chicks!We weren't expecting them until at the earliest this evening,possibly tomorrow,but heard their shells cheeping last night,by lunchtime there were two & I'm pretty sure the third was hatching when I went in with some food...Dandelion was doing some pretty odd little wriggles!
The Buff Orpington seems to already have a bit of a mean streak(first born)and it & the dark brahma had a couple of little fights for mummies attention.She looked as horrified as me,but left them to it & they soon stopped.
Sorry for being a worry,but I didn't need to make them drink did I?I know I didn't last time,just the incubated ones.There's a little shallow dish of water right by the nest,which we've cut right down so they can get out & back in easily,Dandelion will show them how...yes?She did last time,so sure she will again....oooh it's a worry!
There's still three eggs under her,although I think at least two won't hatch.We'd often go to see to her & they were poking out from under her wings,so I wonder if she knew they weren't fertile or something had gone wrong with them?
They are so beautiful!

[MaureenHall]

So where's the pictures then Di? Huh? Huh? Getting us all excited and nothing for us to see!

Well done Dandelion again, you're a very very clever Mummy xxx

[lynda66]

has decided not hatching any more from the incubator ... hence sending it back with mo and if i ever get a broody then i may put some eggs under ... but if not ... buying day old chicks is now my preferred option ... let someone else have the stress lol

[di]

Well I did take a couple of piccies but 'fraid I'm still on a borowed computer & not really sure about loading pics onto it...both for technical reasons & don't know if it'd be cheeky loading pics on someone elses computer anyway?
Can't find my mobile,so not sure if any more hatched in the night?(was Andi's turn to do the early morning duty)
Promise if we ever get our old computer working there'll be stacks of piccies to look at...in the meantime you'll have to trust me that they is vewy coot & vewy fluffy!

[MaureenHall]

ok, you're forgived

[davefromthechipie]

No dont Forgive him MH You can upload photos direct from your cam with imageshack just select resize image
Grats on the new ones Andi & di,I cant wait to see them