Winter Chick

[Taceas]

Our turkey hatched this guy out yesterday, luck wasn't so good to her other two chicken eggs. The chickens managed to lay more eggs near her nest and I'm guessing in the shuffling to get those eggs into her nest, she managed to smoosh the other two eggs pretty good.

One was already dead, but I was able to salvage the other. It was super cold and gasping, no other movement. But I rubbed it a bit and put it in a warm incubator, and it's still alive and now peeping. But its still on its side in fetal position, attached to its shell and it's belly hasn't quite closed over the yolk spot, so we'll see how he does in the next day or two.

But this little guy is all fluff and adorable! It's so cute when they peck their own toes and fall down.

[Msskellington]

aw, he's adowable..

[Joanna]

Congrats he is adorable!

[Mysterry]

Oh man just to cute for words...

[Taceas]

Well here is a picture update, almost 2 weeks later. Eins (pronounced like Heinz, without the H-sound) and Zwei are still doing great, and have gotten moved to a brooder in the garage to finish growing up.

I did try them with the turkey on Saturday while it was warm out, but she wasn't interested in them in the least, and they didn't respond to her much either. She was still focused on trying to find eggs to sit on.

The broody black cochin hen, Narcissa, came down from her nest to investigate the peeping, and she too wasn't much interested once she saw them. She shortly went back to her nest of 6 eggs. So I guess these guys are destined to be human raised.

Eins after seeing a familiar hand...


Eins again, checking out Narcissa...


I'm beginning to think Eins is a little roo and Zwei is a hen based on their talking and body language. Eins is a bit more outgoing, more erect in posture, and does more alarm talking...Zwei is more timid, more squat in posture, and heeds Eins' alarm calls and ducks for cover. I guess we'll see in a few months.

[hana]

What a darling!



hana