Chickam Round Two Chicks!

Well, we only got three out of the eggs we set this time--but I'm super happy with the chicks we got this year. Hatching at our higher altitude is problematic and takes a great deal of fussing--getting great quality eggs, watching the incubator like a hawk, setting all of the equipment exactly just so, etc. Highly fussy.

And the last two years, the chicks we did get were low quality and WAY too many died.

So even though not all of the eggs developed or hatched, this year we got really healthy, active chicks. I'm calling this a big win!

First to hatch was #10, a smaller greenish egg, Cao Cao (pronounced 'Tsao Tsao'). Cao clearly has a LOT of bantam Cochin in her, daddy might be Milton, our bantam d'Uccle/Cochin mix roo.

Here, Cao demonstrates how to properly brace yourself for an earthquake.

Cao pranked my husband by lying on her side, sticking both legs out and playing 'cartoon dead'...

...then she turned over and did the other side.

Next was #16, named Deliciousaurus. Another bantam Cochin derivative, she may have Carrie, our bantam d'Uccle/Cochin mix roo (and son of Milton) for a daddy.

Delicious posed for the 1972 Sears 'Action Slacks' catalog.

Lastly is #17, Spam. Spam is basically Delicious (but they each came from very different light brown eggs, so different moms) but MORE bantam Cochin with shorter shanks than the other two chicks. She got a blue lag band until she and Delicious bust out in more distinctive feathering.

Not to be showed up by Cao, when Spam hatched, she did a...freaky leg thing. Just kind stuck it out there...and left it for a few moments.

Lastly, somebody in chat mentioned that they'd lined up like an Oreo cookie, so...

Their new album drops in 6 weeks.

But somebody had to get their grump on...

They all three have that braced, bantam Cochin 'I'm a cube made of chicken meat' pose down pat.

Lockdown, Round 2!

LOCKDOWN!

The eggs got their final turn just now, and I candled to remove duds.

 

Final count: 5 eggs with chicks, 2 more I'm not sure of so they stayed in, 7 quitters. So with any luck, we'll have 5-7 chicks in a couple of days!

 

I've partitioned off the brooder box. The cam is in the same corner it was. The new chicks will be in the partition on the left, where the flamingo lamp is.

 

Unfortunately, my original idea, to place the cam pointing down to show both sides at once, won't work--the cam will want to focus on the wire partition, not the chicks. So once mama and new chicks are in place and active--usually after the first day--I'll point it at the new chicks. Hens tend to clamp down on the chicks the first day, but we'll see.

 

And yes, as long as the hen accepts the chicks, we'll have a mama this time around! It's a whole different experience with a mother hen...

We've got three or four options for a broody mom right now, and which one we use will depend on how many chicks we get:
1. Bobo, a tiny black bantam Cochin (she could handle 2-4 chicks).
2. Marble, a large tortoiseshell bantam Cochin (she could handle 4-6 chicks and is my first choice).
3. Dart, a standard-sized mixed breed hen who could handle ALL THE CHICKS ON EARTH. No, really, just ask her. Dart is uber-fierce and roars a LOT, she'd be highly entertaining for mom, but she's a last resort because she's so big--being confined in that small of a space might be too stressfull on her, and I don't want her turning on the babies if she feels overcrowded.
4. The last option is Uptown Bus (medium sized buff bantam Cochin), who was a Chickam mom in 2020 when she hid a nest on us--she just went broody today, so I don't know how dedicated she is to it yet.

 

After this weekend, the older chicks will be in their 6th week and will spend the warm daylight hours out in the small run to get them used to the outdoors & other chickens. When the hatch happens, that night we'll install a broody hen in the dark--it helps her accept the chicks as hers. The older chicks may be distressed at full dark at first, but they'll be ok.

 

The hatch is planned for Monday, May 15th (1 day short of 21 days, the usual) but may happen on May 14th. If you tune in and see EGGS, the hatch has begun!

You can watch the new hatch here:  https://www.youtube.com/@jackshenhouse

On this page, click on 'Jacks Henhouse Chickam Live Stream' and a new window will open up with the live cam going.

Egg Candling Update For Chickam, Round 2!

This current batch has been cooking for 10 days, which means it was time to candle for embryos!

On April 26th, I set a total of 18 eggs:  6 were bantam calico Cochin bantams bought from a poultry friend at our local chicken swap, 12 were a mix from across our flock, standard size and bantams.

Tonight when I candled, we have 8 eggs that show embryos--I'm going to say right now that some look a bit small, so might be late quitters. But I'm leaving them in the incubator to give them their shot. Out of these eggs with embryos, 1 was a calico Cochin, the other 7 from our flock.

Another 6 eggs I wasn't sure about and might be early quitters (all from our flock)--but again, I left them in.

4 eggs were duds that never developed: 3 of the calico Cochins and one of ours. I'm not too happy that the calico bantam Cochin eggs did so poorly...but when you buy eggs, you take your chances.

Hatch day SHOULD be Sunday, May 14th (Mother's Day in the US!) and/or Monday, May 15th...but as always, check the cam a day ahead. If you check and see EGGS, the hatch is on!

We have a BUNCH of broody hens right now, so the good news is that we have a very strong chance that one will accept any hatched chicks and be mom for this round!