Basil's a Daddy :)

[Bramble-Poultry]

Maureen - a quick pointer to you and anyone else who has seen this happen such as happend to your last chick that had the prolapsed intestine.

We have had it here a couple of times and it comes from putting late hatchers in with their older (albeit a few hours) siblings.

When a chick hatches it is usually still attached to the remnants of the yolk by an umbilical chord. This dries off and detaches from the yolk, but is still quite wet at the end nearest the stomach of the chick. Ideally the chick should be left in the incubator for around 12-16 hours (never more than 24) before moving into the brooder with the others. This allows the umbilical to dry off properly.

Seeing a new chick, the others will investigate and peck and tug at it to see if if moves etc as they are inquisitive. If the chick still has a "wet belly button" this will become the target of endless moments of entertainment for the other chicks, resulting in the potential for the stomach muscles to be breached and the intestines pulled out.

We have learnt this they hard way, once by finding the chick wandering about as you did, and the other time by physically watching the blighter do it!.

We did think of pushing it back in, but in the end we did the deed. Speaking to the vet later that week, he suggested that we did the best thing as stuffing back intestines isnt easy, and if you kink the intestine or it doesnt go back quite right, you are storing up trouble for the chicken later on in life when it grows up and cant digest food properly as it has a twisted gut.

so, Maureen, as much as you hated to do it, you did the right thing for it.

[kirsty b]

Well, I've now got all 7 (so far hatched) chicks here at home and what a mixed bunch they are!!!!! Looking at a couple of them, I think Rowan's had a hand (you know what I mean ) in fertilising some eggs, so I think there's a couple of "Wellbelles" here

Kirsty, I'm sorry if you were hoping for all Bluebelle-type chicks, but they're all gorgeous! I'll put another pick of them all on here when I've moved them into the bigger growing on place in the conservatory

I'd be happy with any chicks Maureen My broody resisted being moved before I put the eggs under her, so against my better judgement let her stay in the shed where she wanted to be. It worked for the other two, but this time, the others have tried to lay in her box, so she may not have sat as well as they did. I'll know for sure this weekend, and if nothing has happened by Mon, Tue at the very latest I'll know it wasn't to be.

Tried dividing shed, but the others just kept jumping at it to see what was on the other side, I removed it thinking the racket they made would just upset her.

[MaureenHall]

Precious has got a baby There's at least 1 anyway, and it's a little grey/blue one so I'm really thrilled about that!! I wanted to keep a grey/blue and the black one so the other 6 can go to their new owners on Saturday as promised. I'll try and persuade the new people to sign up on here so we can have progress reports etc and if they need any help I know you'll all be there for them

[Bramble-Poultry]

Already tried to get her to sign up Mo - she said she was going to, so if you advise it too then she probably will

[MaureenHall]

Already tried to get her to sign up Mo - she said she was going to, so if you advise it too then she probably will

oooooo you know Diane and George then? Well well, small world innit ('specially when you meet people from the local Freecycle!)

[Bramble-Poultry]

Strangely enough thats how we met Diane too .....

[MaureenHall]

Precious has 2 babies now well that's how many I saw just now when I went to have a peep

[MaureenHall]

Final count and summary of the whole (long drawn out!!) hatching process. Considering the number of eggs we'd put to hatch, I don't think the hatch rate was that brilliant really. Paul & Shelly put 14 in their incubator but discarded 3 after candling as having nothing in them. Out of the remaining 11, 6 pipped, 5 hatched and 1 was dead in the shell (other pipped one). From the 10 I had in my incubator, 4 pipped, 3 hatched, 1 of which we had to PTS because of abnormality, and the other pipped one died in the shell. Out of the 8 Precious was sitting on, 5 pipped, 4 hatched 1 of which I've just found dead in the coop and the other pipped one died in the shell.

So, the final total is 10 live babies, 6 of which are going on Saturday and the other 4 are being reared by Precious. She's a lovely Mummy, and I wouldn't have missed this experience for anything Yes, I'd do it again, even going through the poor hatch rate (which may be because the Bluebelles are still relatively immature birds)

[RedThorn]

and you had loads of fun and learn't a lot too! give Precious a cuddle from us please

[MaureenHall]

Oh yes, Precious has been told that's she's the bestest chook in the whole wide world ............................. and she's sneaky too , I've just found another chick in with her so now she's got 4 bluey/yellowy ones and a black one

[di]

Aaaw!Well Done Precious...and well done Grandma Mo for all the excellent care that helped her hatch her babies!

[Bramble-Poultry]

Well done precious - maureen you hatch rate was good considering the age of your birds, if thsi is this years results, next year will be something else!

[MaureenHall]

I'll have to try and hang on to Basil a bit longer then

[Bramble-Poultry]

Yep looks like it!

[MaureenHall]

two and a half weeks

I thought you might like to see how Precious and her babies are coming along. The 4 light coloured ones are the ones she hatched herself, and the black one she adopted. They're so lovely!!!! Real escape artists too when they get the chance