That rotten early chick!

I have 10 eggs under a broody. One of them hatched 2 days before anyone else. What would you attribute this to? Hot spots under the hen? Pehaps her humidty was off.

But what to do? Here we have one mobile chick and 9 not so mobile eggs. Chick wants to get out and see the world and I worry that if he pops out of the nest box and can't get back in, mom will get out of box to get to her chick...and the eggs will get cold and die.

Or she won't get off the eggs and the chick who can't get back in the nest, gets cold and dies.

I see no good outcome.

I brought chick inside into brooder, where he screeched his fool head off all day. He was also a little gimpy, wonky leg. It was good to get him out from between rolling eggs and mom sitting on his head because after a few hours his leg gained strength and was a lot better. But man is he a yeller! So I stuck him back with mom since if he screeches like that all night, sleeping people might feed him to the dog.

I am now on 'chick watch', sheesh, and those people with lambs think they have it bad. I don't think so! Plan is to swipe the kids back into brooder, maybe once there's two, there will be less squawking. Things did quiet down a bit when I put a fake mom in. I usually use a feathr boa, but don't know where it got to. Probably full of poop so I chucked it. TOday I used a Swiffer duster refill. Fluffed it up and set it under the heat. It was snuggly and fluffy just like mom. But this one is a serious screecher. Hope it goes better with more than just him in the brooder.

Oh my Gordon, that is the dilemma of the lifetime for surely. That little chick is a trooper, no doubt will be the leader of the pack. I bet the others are going to be coming on fast and furious now, he will have company. I don't think baby will leave the warm body of mamma really. It knows where the heat is. Usually I have found that the babies don't leave until mamma wants them to with her encouragement. Once I did have a little one get out of the nest, but fortunately I was around and heard the squeeking and peeping, so loud, ya can't miss it. Poor mamma, nothing she could do, she had others that needed her mothering. Ya, so I have encountered that once. Only once. You were wise to bring him out and let the leg get mobile. Other than that girl, you have fun, your probably going to be up and checking half the night, but good luck wishes. Have an awesome night, I mean it and a wonderful day tomorrow. CynthiaM.

I had a Buff Orpington hen who did that - hatched one chick while days away from hatching the rest. I put eggs, hen and chick all in a pet carrier with feed and water and eventually it all worked out. She was such a determined broody no sooner did she hatch all of those chicks but she started right back to brooding a new set of eggs. She was a great mother to the first set of chicks, even though she was setting on a new clutch of eggs.

In nature eggs hatch over a period of time - never all exactly together. If you keep mum, eggs and chicks where the chicks can get out and in as needed, it all works out. Pet carriers are great that way - we do all our hatching/rearing in those.

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Any mates for your lone chick Uno?

I'm curious too, whats new

Yes, the loner has buddies!

There were 10 eggs under that hen. I have 9 little peeper leepers under the heat lamp in the basement. One lone egg was still looking like an egg when I last checked. Might be a chick by now.

THey are an interesting assortment. Mostly black (heavy Australorp influence). One is a creamy, silver colour. One is tiger stripe (or what I call tiger stripe). That might be a combination of the Orpington roo and Partridge Chanticler mom? It has been a few generations since I had Brahma in the flock, but those genes keep cropping up in tight combs (which I like) and the odd feather on a leg. Over half of these chicks sport a little speck of fluff on their leg, they will have small combs too.

I am so glad the lonely one has some buddies!!

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Yeah! I also demand pictures! Fluffy butts all around!

Pictures are needed. For Science and stuff.

Oh. Science and stuff. Let me get my camera.

uno wrote:Oh. Science and stuff. Let me get my camera.

Can't wait to see some picture thanks Uno
So happy the lone chick has brother's and sister's

This is a pic of the gang. Note the cream/silver chick and stripey guy.
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The silver chick with black chick...note my snazzy pants.

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Stripey chick as dog's nose photo bombs the moment.

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Science wins again!

Love the chicks! Like the pants, too. I often wear similar ones, having the luxury of working from home and therefore being able to work in pyjamas.

OMG!!!!! Those chicks are SUPER CUTE!!!!!

LOVE chicks!!
Fuzzy butts are the best.
BTW love the pants I too frequent the plaid pj pants I personally keep trying to get the moms at the bus stop to join in on my fashion trend but alas no takers

uno wrote:This is a pic of the gang. Note the cream/silver chick and stripey guy.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The silver chick with black chick...note my snazzy pants.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Stripey chick as dog's nose photo bombs the moment.

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Cool Uno.
Do you have any blue birds? The silver chick will be blue I think. The stripey guy will possibley be a silver partridge type of bird. I am not great with chick down, maybe someone else will pipe up.

Coopslave, oh for sure that silver chick will be a blue. That is what the blue cochin chicks look like with down colour, some lighter, some darker.

Oooooh....so that was the picture of the dog's nose and hair in that picture. I thought it was you bent over and you had somehow blackened your nose . Thought maybe you bumped your nose and it was all big and bruised

Love the fuzzy butt pictures, could leave behind the ichy pants , but I bet they are comfy.

What a nice hatch eh? Hats off to the broody mammas!!

so ya, where did the blue chick come from? What are the breeds of the babies, did you mention that and I missed it? I guess I just want to know where you got your hatching eggs from, nosey ol' me. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

This is what the blue cochin down looks like, look at the two silver chicks in the bucket. There is a pretty good idea of how Uno's look much the same. Sometimes the blue chicks will have a much darker head and other down feathers darker too, those ones always are the much nicer coloured as they grow up with nicer lacing.

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About the pants...I do not wear pajama pants. BUt had managed to dump a shovel of poo in my boot and the jeans I had on had to go in the laundry. These ugly things were handy so I put them on. I hate them. But what do I happen to be wearing for the photos? My ugly pants..of course.

I have no idea how that blue chick popped up. Other than the purebred Partridge Chants from Coopslave, and the Orpington Rooster from Jonny Anvil, my birds are mutts. Multi generational mutts. I can't even call them crosses anymore because they are mutts crossed with mutts crossed with mutts.

However...I have some mystery genes floating around my hen pen, although after bear kill and raccoon kill and bobcat kill, there are less of those genes all the time. But I get the odd all black bird. Black skin, black eyes, black comb, black everything and according to a friend who butchered some, black flesh and bones too. No..they are not Silkies. One of these babies is an all black. The true test it to look at their bum. Is it black? THen so is every other speck of skin on that bird.

Anyhow...maybe I have the odd blue gene kicking around but that is NOT a common colour at all in my flock. Maybe Jonny Anvil has some idea of the inheritance of his Orpington (who is orange/gold and black). But if JOnnny has nothing to add, and if Partridge Chants don't carry a hidden blue gene..then I have no clue what's going on.

Regarding the early chick, is it possible it was part bantam? Bantams hatch about day 18.

No known bantams in my hen house. And he/she is currently one of the biggest chicks in the gang! No longer a funky blue, now looks like a white chick who rolled in a fire pit. Dirty mess.

Hi uno, It may be what is called pre-incubation. I learned about it last year from a large American hatchery site. An egg can start to develop for a day or two and then gets very cold and goes back into dormancy and then when warms up enough to awaken the embryo and life continues with a head start. Some people do this intentionally.