Hatching a new batch
- Thread starter Tara_H
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That cat tho... 
KimW
Well-Known Member
Look at them flap their wings like big birds! 
KimW
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah - the CAT. Forgot about the cat by the time I got to the end of the chickie cuteness! Is it Luna? Oh she's just waiting ever so patiently.That cat tho...
Hers is the same heater, they keep it low so they can cuddle under it, like they would mama. The room my granddaughter usually has hers in will get even colder than yours so she really has to watch temps close, but she has not lost a chick.Ah ok I thought you were asking was it a different kind.
Are you saying she has a brooder but has it raised up high?the point of those ones is that the chicks can actually touch the heated part if they want to. We start ours very low and move it up gradually as they grow.
I'm a believer in keeping things as natural for them as I can, given the circumstances, so I don't do any heat lamps or gradients no matter what the conditions are. The brooder is plenty warm, and they learn very quickly (matter of minutes) how to get back there for heat when they need it. I find this setup encourages robust and curious chicks, they venture out to explore and then run back to 'mama' when they want to warm up.
As you noticed, they already spend most of their time in the unheated part, at about a week and a half old. The room they're in is about 18C (cold enough that I get chilly if I sit too long) but they are perfectly comfortable with it. In fact I ran a heater a couple of times to make it warmer for me, and they flopped down and spread out their wings like they were too warm.
(Just sharing info - there are as many ways of doing this as there are chicken keepers, so no offence intended.)
This is Elma, she's the youngest and bright as a button! (Also my puppy kittenOh yeah - the CAT. Forgot about the cat by the time I got to the end of the chickie cuteness! Is it Luna? Oh she's just waiting ever so patiently.
) she's learned already that if she sits quietly she can stay and watch them but if she gets off the chair she has to go out into the garden 
She looks just like a smaller version of Luna though, and really makes me understand where the word copycat comes from! She watches and imitates every single thing!
We've started introducing them to outside spaces. Yesterday they got to hang out in a cold frame for a little while and they loved it! They found a spider - ate it. They found a wood louse (pillbug, I think?)- that was very scary and they ran away from it. They found a little yellow leaf and ran around stealing it from each other for a long time!
Today they're in the greenhouse with me. There's enough room to run up and down and practice flying! They found a tiny slug and played rugby with it for a while but found it unpleasantly sticky on the beak...
Also Elma is going crazy trying to get in
Today they're in the greenhouse with me. There's enough room to run up and down and practice flying! They found a tiny slug and played rugby with it for a while but found it unpleasantly sticky on the beak...
Also Elma is going crazy trying to get in
KimW
Well-Known Member
Blahahaha - wish I could be there to see their antics - especially with the yellow leaf!
Poor Elma's going to wear herself out.
Poor Elma's going to wear herself out.
I didn't get it on video, but not long after this she took a flying jump at the greenhouse roof, went splat, and finished by sliding down the glass like something out of a cartoon...
Luckily the glass held, and she clearly learned not to try that again!
KimW
Well-Known Member
Oh nooooo!!! Awe poor girl. I bet her face was priceless!
Did you end up incubating another round, since you got so few to hatch this time? Sorry if you mentioned it already, I don't remember seeing it if you did.
Oh - yes actually we're going to start some more on Friday, we've been collecting them for a little while now. I think the humidity was the biggest problem so I'm going to try a new trick that I've only read about; using sandpaper on a small patch at one end of the egg to help it lose water during incubation. This particular breed has very dark eggs, and because of the layers of pigment they're less porous than average. Hopefully this will improve the hatch rate for the next lot!
They are so cute, but I REALLY empathize with Elma. Stalking those chicks is something my Kitty Baby would be doing as well, looking for any way in possible. How do you keep her out when you go in yourself?
It's a complicated process involving putting the chicks into an IKEA box (sortera I think it's called) and then going out, into the greenhouse and closing the door before opening the box lid! If she can't see or hear them she's less bothered about following me in
She was disgusted with me the following day when I finally let her into the greenhouse - she had to check behind every plant in case there were chicks hiding there!
Today they had their playpen thoroughly cleaned out, and there was great excitement scratching around in the new (deeper) sawdust. Also they're getting very good at escaping...
I can just imagine the glares!
You tricked me! I can still smell them.
Where are they? You are so mean!I see you speak cat!I can just imagine the glares!
Next batch is cooking
Doing everything 'extra' I can think of to help hatch rates. They've been in the incubator being turned since they were collected from the nesting box, and wiped down carefully with a dry cloth to help remove any potential contamination.
Last night I used my fancy nail file to abrade a small patch at the end of each egg where the air sac should be. I did candle them, but the air sacs are too small to see, even in the week old eggs, which lends support to my theory that it's a humidity problem.
The only thing I didn't do was give the rooster a trim around his fluffy bits to encourage a base level of fertility... That's kind of the nuclear option
Doing everything 'extra' I can think of to help hatch rates. They've been in the incubator being turned since they were collected from the nesting box, and wiped down carefully with a dry cloth to help remove any potential contamination.
Last night I used my fancy nail file to abrade a small patch at the end of each egg where the air sac should be. I did candle them, but the air sacs are too small to see, even in the week old eggs, which lends support to my theory that it's a humidity problem.
The only thing I didn't do was give the rooster a trim around his fluffy bits to encourage a base level of fertility... That's kind of the nuclear option
Out in the greenhouse again today, much dust bathing was had!
(Edit:Adding more that I thought I'd posted before but that seems to have disappeared!)
They're getting into their "awkward teenage phase" now:
They're also getting too heavy to sit on the edge of the playpen!
(Edit:Adding more that I thought I'd posted before but that seems to have disappeared!)
They're getting into their "awkward teenage phase" now:
They're also getting too heavy to sit on the edge of the playpen!
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KimW
Well-Known Member
They're growing so fast and they look like such happy chickies!
