I kept hearing peeping and not from the older ones. I looked in the incubator and there was a silver sebright looking at me! And one more egg is opening. I put them all in at the same time and they are due,well, were due May 6 or 7th. My only theory so far is that one of the silkie gals had them tucked up and when I was collecting eggs I missed them. I saved up eggs for a couple of days then put them in all together. No one else is pipping. I am going to candle tonight!
More chicks...early???
LoraK that is a lovely surprise! Don't you just love the sight of live chicks? Bet you're scrambling to get the brooder ready and heated LOL. Name that one Noel or Noela since they're like a Christmas surprise.
MollyD
Great name!! Thanks! I am moving the quails into their new home this weekend so I can put them in a temp. brooder until then. SS are so much smaller than the others, usually anyways, so its a good thing..
And 24 hours in the incubator!! Nothing less!!
Wow they are early. Guess they had enough of that cramped space :) I love little sebrights, they are so cute.
I've never seen a sebright in person. How big are they?
MollyD
Tiny!!! This one is picking around the drive beside a marans rooster, marans hen and a silkie roo. They are the smallest chicken I have. According to the Feathersite they are between 22-26 oz and one of the true bantams.
OOOPSS forgot pic
Yep that's what I thought. Snack size ;-) Very pretty though.
MollyD
Yup! I lost two in the beginning to my cats , they don't bother them anymore since the guineas and roos became protective.
We don't have any cats right now but in the future we're planning on getting some barn cats. They'd better not touch any of my flock!
MollyD
I hear ya MollyD. We have an outdoor cat and he sometimes decides to chase after the girls when they are out and about. We fuss at him. My husband said if he ever kills one he will be gone. He's a good ol cat so I hope he behaves :)
LoraK that is a pretty little Sebright. They are tiny little things. We have one full grown roo that is spoiled rotten. My kids lay him in their hands on his back and he just lays there. We also have 5 little ones that are 7 weeks old. I think we have only 2 hens in that bunch. Two of the little ones are crowing already and two are looking a lot like hens. The other I think is a roo too because the comb is bigger and redder than the hens but not as big yet as the other two roos. We were hoping for more hens.
I love the SS everyone loves them who sees my chickens loves them. The second egg hatched out another SS, weird, they weren't due for a week
Well mystery solved!!! Those broody silkie gals had have eggs tucked up in their wings, I just went out to Hen house to get the afternoon eggs and heard cheeping and there was a chick in with the two white silkies, Michelle and Oprah. I put him or her in the incubator to get it footing and then it will join the other 2 in the brooder. I am not going to let the gals raise young until the other house is built so nothing kills them.
This one is a 5 toes partridge looking cutie with big fuzzy fuzzy feet! So I am guessing a golden sebright and silkie mix!
LOL they're determine to be moms!
MollyD
YES they are! I only could get a couple of eggs from Michelle and Oprah one was a marans and one silkie or sebright and the silkie or sebright had pipped so I will be watching out for more chicks. I sat down slowly looked at one of marans hens on eggs, she had eggs tucked everywhere, I always thought they sat on them like everyone says, they don't, they are tucked under wings, between thighs and body etc, its really amazing. They keep them right against their skin to keep them warm. I have a new found respect for hens and hatching eggs
Bet it's easier to keep them from accidentally rolling away if they're tucked in like that! My tiels used to tuck them in against their breast bone. You could just barely see them peeking out through those breast feathers. I had one pair that use to evenly divide their eggs between them. When they went out to eat you'd see two neat piles with the same # of eggs! I always wondered how high they could count :-)
MollyD
The fourth is a cute lil red faced golden sebright, sebright feet, skin and feathering so maybe even a pure!