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Author Topic: Single chick hatched!  (Read 4501 times)

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Single chick hatched!
« on: August 01, 2014, 02:03:49 pm »
I have a broody sitting on 6 (bought in) eggs. The first chick hatched yesterday (day 20), it's looking very lively and is already hopping about the place and picking at food  :excited:
Mum still sitting tight on the other eggs but they don't look like anything is happening at all, no noise, no cracks - today is day 21. How much longer until I can be sure no more eggs will hatch? I really hope there will be more but it doesn't look like it...  :(
Should I leave her until she leaves the nest by herself? I left her sitting were she settled (inside the main coop) but my plan is to move her and the chick(s) to my spare coop which has a safe run attached as soon as possible.
Should I prepare a nest box for her in the new coop? The nestboxes there are raised off the floor and I'm worried chicks may fall out and hurt themselves, so I was planning on putting her on the floor - I think she'll need some kind of nest there?
Anything else I should keep in mind about making a coop chick friendly? I know about shallow water dishes etc - have been reading up on old threads!  :thumbsup:

"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2014, 04:29:05 pm »
Depends whether they were at room temperature when you put them under her and whether she set them straight away - I would normally leave incubator eggs to at least day 24 or 25, but I haven't had a broody for a  long time so i can't remember how long i left them. I rather suspect she herself might decide when its time to give up.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2014, 05:41:51 pm »
Yup, leave them a bit yet LadyK and don't move the mum chick and eggs until a good few days yet - she has her nest there and might not accept that they are her eggs and chick in a new house.  I'd wait as doganjo says then when you move her keep the chick(s) in site all the time until she is in the new house - it usually takes two people doing that at the same time, don't do it chicks first then mum, she won't like that.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2014, 05:59:37 pm »
Yes, give them longer. You can 'candle' the eggs when you are close to giving up .... just to reassure yourself. A strong torch shone through the egg will do the trick. You'll see the chick and movement if you look closely and watch for a while.

I put a box at ground level when chicks are very young though it's amazing how quickly they get the idea of zooming up a ramp! Move when it's dark and all eggs have hatched and chicks are dry.

Aren't they sweet.  :love:

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2014, 10:00:00 pm »
It is quite late so fertility can be worse at this time of year - my broody has just hatched 6 from 18. They'd had a hard time - she was their third broody - but quite a few were infertile and I wouldn't sell any hatching eggs now. But, yes, she'll probably decide for herself when they're a deadloss - I found one had been kicked out and then she abandoned the rest. I did move her because she was in a run with a ramp so I put her into the usual broody run which is all on a level with no nest boxes or ramps (I think it was still being used by ducklings when the brooding began). She took to it fine but she's a great broody that I knew I could trust - if yours is new to it, I'd leave it a while.

H

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2014, 10:23:25 pm »
Thanks for all the advice, dear TAS people!  :trophy:
So I'll leave her a few days more, and keep my fingers crossed that a couple more may hatch.

She looks happy enough, but I'm a bit worried that the hatched chick is very lively and could hop over the nestbox ledge and then won't be able to go back - there is no drop in level, but there is a ledge. It did hop into the adjacent nestbox earlier today, then stood there cheeping very loudly... I heard it 20 metres away... but mum just sat on the eggs...
As she's still sitting tight, she's not really taking the chick to the feeder... should I be worried? I don't think the egg yolk will sustain the chick beyond today if it hatched yesterday?
I've been sprinkling some chick crumb in front of them and both mum and chick have been picking at it, but it gets soon lost in the straw. There is food and water in front of the hen, but obviously too far to reach for the chick - unless it hops over the ledge again...

Questions questions... every 'first time' on the smallholding is equally amazing and nerve-racking... wouldn't want it any other way  :)
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2014, 08:47:08 am »
We had a staggered hatch this year. It's not ideal to touch broody and chicks too much but we took the hatched chicks from under mum a couple of times each day and took them to the food and water ..... it was really hot so wanted them to at least drink. Peck at food and drink with your finger and they will get the idea.

I would, if it were me, check if the other eggs are viable today by candling. You should be able to see the live chick ..... my daughter can see if the beak is in the air sac even!

Better to candle the eggs now, IMO, and have one chick than risk anything happening to it .... if it's up and mobile.

Are all the eggs from the same breed of chicken? We have found that in general eggs from our smaller breeds hatch a day or so earlier than eggs from our large breed poultry.

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2014, 05:54:48 pm »
Day 24 today but still no sign of life in the remaining eggs. I tried candling 2 of the eggs but just couldn't get them to glow - either I used the wrong light or I was doing it wrong, will try again this evening but I don't have high hopes, really.
Will move them to maternity coop & run tomorrow, either way - just finished building ramps in there!
Lone chick is doing very well, hopping about mum and picking at food - I needn't have worried about the nestbox ledges: it was hopping on and off effortlessly by end of day 2!
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2014, 07:58:08 pm »
What do you see when they are candled?  Has there been any growth or were they infertile?
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2014, 08:08:56 pm »
Take the eggs into a dark room/box. Needs to be a powerful torch and hold almost touching the egg.

If infertile probably appear clear. If live chicks you would see dark shape ..... moving.

Have a look at images on the net to help. Also listen for cheeping in the eggs.


I would guess not fertile or early/late death ...... if alive would probably have hatched by now if you put all of them under hen at the same time and they are all same breed eggs.

Glad chick is doing well ..... amazing how quickly they are mobile!

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2014, 02:16:01 pm »
I managed to see something when candling - they all look pretty much the same, with bigger or smaller air sacks(?)

I looked at some images online, and this doesn't look entirely wrong for the late stages of development but I can't see any movement at all, or make out any details of a chick, and still no sound or cracks... not hopeful. Mum has been getting off the eggs more often today (but still going back on) so I guess that's another negative sign  :(
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2014, 03:06:04 pm »
It looks from the photo like chick has developed. Usually you would be able to see movement in the egg. You can often feel the egg vibrate or visibly wobble and hear cheeping. You can see when the chick has put it's beak into the air sac.

Did they all go under at the same time?


Hen left our eggs after a while despite 'live chicks' in there. This was because of a staggered hatch. We popped the eggs under another broody. However if all eggs went under at the same time it is likely to be late death.

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Single chick hatched!
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2014, 04:46:40 pm »
Thank you all.
Yes, the eggs all went under the hen at the same time.
I know it doesn't look good, but can't quite bring myself to take the eggs away just yet...
What can cause late death of developing chicks? Is it one of those things or could I have done something wrong?
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

 

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