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Post by fluffychook on Sept 25, 2008 17:43:39 GMT 8
Second batch in the new incubator have almost finished hatching. Started off with 14 that were put in the incubator with the first batch one week later. I wanted to see if I could hatch and incubate at the same time with out problems. Out of the 14 seven where viable. After the first lot hatched the temp kept fluctuating so I put in a bottle of water which helped a great deal. Still had to do a lot of fiddling so I was concerned that the hatch would fail. Should not have worried. 4 have hatched with 1 still going. The other two don't seem to be doing anything. I will update with pictures shortly
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Post by genuinesqueak on Sept 25, 2008 19:20:13 GMT 8
Oh how exciting!!
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Post by horses7 on Sept 26, 2008 15:03:12 GMT 8
congrats on the new chicks, looking forward to seeing the photos
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Post by fluffychook on Oct 2, 2008 8:37:54 GMT 8
Got the photo's, just have to load them...bit slack I know. I went away to Geraldton for the weekend and bought back 3 baby silkies. Two where from the eggs my sister incubated from mail order eggs and one from her own hens.
I candled the eggs all my broodies where sitting on and ditched the lot, not one was fertile. My first broody had been sitting too long to put more eggs under her so I decided to try putting the 5 day old chicks under her. I moved her first and waited to see if she settled, which she did. That night I put two babies under her and she took them, so I put the remaining 4 under too. Very happy to say mum and bubs have taken to each other beautifully. Will post some pics shortly. I will take some more of mum and bubs too.
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Post by genuinesqueak on Oct 2, 2008 13:14:43 GMT 8
Oh I can't wait for pictures! It's great when you can put chicks under hens and they take to them! So much less work for you! hehe. I've just had three hatch from under a hen so i need to get some pictures of them, very cute!
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Post by fluffychook on Oct 2, 2008 13:58:15 GMT 8
Got my act together and took the pictures and loaded them Top right is the one from my sisters Day after I introduced Julianne to the bubs Getting warm and having a peek
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Post by horses7 on Oct 2, 2008 21:45:48 GMT 8
Great photo of the little ones peeping out the side of mum, she is doing really well. Had you bought eggs that werent any good ?
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Post by fluffychook on Oct 3, 2008 8:11:18 GMT 8
The eggs were my own. I seem to get a 50% fertility rate with them. Must be all that fluff. And so far none of my duck eggs have been fertile. My drake is about 6 months old and my duck is about 9 months. Is the drake too young even though he is doing the deed to fertilise eggs?
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Post by genuinesqueak on Oct 3, 2008 21:11:02 GMT 8
Awww i love silky babies! I hope i get a lot hatch from this lot!
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Post by fluffychook on Oct 5, 2008 17:48:37 GMT 8
I let mum and the chicks out for an excursion today. The rooster was about so I watched to see what he did, not a good boy at all. Tried to stomp the babies. Another hen gave them a quick peck, so I quickly pushed those two into another section. Then later I had to clean out a broody hens nest as it was full of poop (thanks to the rooster being chicken (lol) from the drake) so I choofed her out with them and she started bock bock bocking to the chicks and then ignored them. I have now modified the nesting box so that his Lordship cannot perch on Juliette's nesting box and poop all over her and the eggs. Poor darling, looks terrible and it was stuck to her beak. She spent ages trying to get it off. Her feathers will just have to wait for another day.
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Post by horses7 on Oct 7, 2008 6:59:26 GMT 8
Thanks for letting us know how the rooster reacted, Ive got a clucky (first timer for me) sitting on some eggs, so I will have to move her and babies to a new location away from the other hens and rooster, if and when they hatch, would it be better to have her separated in the shed where she is or do you think it would be possible to move her to another shed where i have all the other young chicks as she then could have more room to move around.
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Post by chooken on Oct 7, 2008 8:02:20 GMT 8
Personally H7 I would put her into her own space. We always make sure the clucky mum has her own nest and area. It settles them more and makes them less anxious when the babies hatch. We also have had a bad experience with one of our gold lace, she will actually try to kill babies even if they are her own hatch. Not a nice girl when baies are around and yet she is such a placid thing in normal circumstances. I think she suffers from cronic PMT.
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Post by fluffychook on Oct 7, 2008 8:37:21 GMT 8
I have put mum and bubs into the old chook coup, which is now the duck coop and sectioned her off from everybody so that the duck could still lay her egg. She transfered there fine even before I gave her the babies. She has turned out to be a fantastic mum and can't wait to be let out to free range, even if it is a limited space. I have read that roosters can either we wonderful fathers or try and kill the chicks so they can have their way with the hen. He had is only chance to show what he was like and so I will keep him and the other hens away from the chicks until they are much bigger.
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Post by genuinesqueak on Oct 7, 2008 9:57:02 GMT 8
I'm wondering what to do with my hen and three chicks, i want to let them out but i'm nervous something will happen, i might wait until they are a couple weeks old and let them out and see what the rooster does, and if he and the other hens are mean, they'll get locked up while the chicks are out.
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Post by fluffychook on Oct 7, 2008 11:30:29 GMT 8
I must admit when I let them out I am on the spot to supervise, very time consuming so thats why I am very interested in the run that chooken built
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