Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[locknest4]

HELP! The second chick just hatched only 2hrs after it pipped and it seems to have a red blobby thing in the shell and it's still attached to it by a thin thread so dragging the shell round.

What to do?

Edited to add the first chick was pecking at it where it joined to the chick so have put the new one and it's shell in a little container inside the incubator so it can't get pecked or drag the shell round as much. It seemed to be trying to escape it instead of resting from the hatch so hopefully it will stop now and get some rest.

Will it eventually fall off?

Depends how much of the egg sack has been absorbed . Don't pull at it , once it has absorbed it will fall off and the chord will shrivel up and drop off. If you've got the brooder ready you might need to separate it from the others till it does.

Do you remember my little guy in the egg cup ? I kept him in there under heat for an entire day , till he had absorbed the remainder of the yolk.

To Fancychooklady I have never seen a chick in acup before and although I know you did it out of necessity, I think it's a very cute picture.
Also doesn't make me feel so bad about giving my chooks a hose down this arvo to keep them cool

 

[locknest4]

Well after the dramas of their first night in the coop (after catching them and putting them in), I went out this morning to find them all healthy and sprawled on th sawdust. Moved them to onto the lawn for a small green run. Will move them back into coop again tonight. They were panting from the heat so I gave them a light hose down, which hasn't endeared me to them again:/
Has anyone any advise on how to get the idea that the "coop is where they go at night" into their feather heads?

When our favorelles were little they would sleep at the back door rather than going in their coop. What taught them where to go was just getting one of those cheap solar lawn lights and putting it in the coop. They would go to the light then it would turn itself off as it ran out of charge. After a week or so (can't remember how long) they went in without me putting the light in there each afternoon (after spending the day in the sun charging) ready for dark.

Thank you apps for this idea.
I have been using a lamp on dimmer switch, but it stays on all night.
The solar light will be much better as it goes out after a while.
Love this site and all the advice from fellow chook keepers

 

[Fancychooklady]

To Fancychooklady I have never seen a chick in acup before and although I know you did it out of necessity, I think it's a very cute picture.
Also doesn't make me feel so bad about giving my chooks a hose down this arvo to keep them cool

This little guy was a perfect example of the necessity of separating Broodies from the flock.
When another hen came into the nest box to lay her egg momma ' muscled down ' to protect her eggs and being such a heavy bird she squashed some of her eggs. I managed to save this little guy by leaving him in the egg cup until he was ready. It was touch and go but he is now a beautiful replica of his dad King George. We call him LG, little George.

 

[locknest4]

To Fancychooklady I have never seen a chick in acup before and although I know you did it out of necessity, I think it's a very cute picture.
Also doesn't make me feel so bad about giving my chooks a hose down this arvo to keep them cool

This little guy was a perfect example of the necessity of separating Broodies from the flock.
When another hen came into the nest box to lay her egg momma ' muscled down ' to protect her eggs and being such a heavy bird she squashed some of her eggs. I managed to save this little guy by leaving him in the egg cup until he was ready. It was touch and go but he is now a beautiful replica of his dad King George. We call him LG, little George.

LG, beautiful

 

[appps]

Well slipping the chicks under penny was a total fail. It's pitch black up there so I need a little light to see and between that and their peeping she took one look at them trying to squeese under her wing and pecked one quite hard. She then backed up all fluffed and growling into the other corner and dragged her egg over and under her again. Then sat growling and fluffed up trying to peck them.

I'm really surprised as she was such a placid thing last time.

Dragged the old plastic tote brooding box out of the back of the garage and gave it a disinfect. Can't find the heat lamp though. I do have a little ceramic globe I was going to use in a hermit crab tank so will have to see if I can set that up on a thermostat over it somehow.

 

[satay]

Don't know about exploding (who was it got the face full of that last year? They will know lol) but mine started to stink around day 14. Don't know how long it takes from stink to pop though.

Mine wasn't last year it was some years ago. All seemed fine the night before went in in the morning to check eggs( purchased eggs) Horrid smell coming from the bator. Opened the lid and picked up an egg and bang it exploded all over me.. Not fun at all.

 

[satay]

Isnt not even quite a day old a bit young to be a bully? The first one is already picking on the second one, pecking a wing here, giving it a nip there. I hope it settles down! The cord dried right out to almost nothing but was still attached and then it got itself out of the little seperate container but the egg was left behind so it was stuck so I just snipped the cord midway, Sounds like the last of it will just drop off shortly now and I figured it gave it a fighting chance with the little bully in with it! Quick photos while I had the lid up, just before the snip. You can see its dried to a super thin but determined cord. and the bully ;-) Do I still have to maintain humidity till I put them under Penny tonight? Wasnt sure if it helped them not get deydrated till they are drinking as it would still be humid under a hen? I also took the egg shells out as B1 was trying to peck at them.

 

[satay]

Well slipping the chicks under penny was a total fail. It's pitch black up there so I need a little light to see and between that and their peeping she took one look at them trying to squeese under her wing and pecked one quite hard. She then backed up all fluffed and growling into the other corner and dragged her egg over and under her again. Then sat growling and fluffed up trying to peck them.

I'm really surprised as she was such a placid thing last time.

Dragged the old plastic tote brooding box out of the back of the garage and gave it a disinfect. Can't find the heat lamp though. I do have a little ceramic globe I was going to use in a hermit crab tank so will have to see if I can set that up on a thermostat over it somehow.

Bummer. I have 7 can you believe it all at once 7 broody aussies and a total of 16 broodies in the layer pen. I could send you down a few if you like. Some will take babies and some wont.. I only every use a normal globe on a thermostat for my brooder. .

 

[satay]

Well slipping the chicks under penny was a total fail. It's pitch black up there so I need a little light to see and between that and their peeping she took one look at them trying to squeese under her wing and pecked one quite hard. She then backed up all fluffed and growling into the other corner and dragged her egg over and under her again. Then sat growling and fluffed up trying to peck them.

I'm really surprised as she was such a placid thing last time.

Dragged the old plastic tote brooding box out of the back of the garage and gave it a disinfect. Can't find the heat lamp though. I do have a little ceramic globe I was going to use in a hermit crab tank so will have to see if I can set that up on a thermostat over it somehow.

That's should work fine appps.

 

[appps]

Here is my emergency brooder till I work how I'm going to heat the other. Raided the spare hermit crab tank and pinched their night heater and thermostat (I do day /night temps but they can live with one constant fine)

Just waiting for it to come up to temp!