# Its a baby!!!!!!!



## Maryellen

Buffy hatched one chick so far!!!!! One more egg to hopefully hatch..... A beautiful little baby










I went out to check for eggs and when i moved her i saw the baby


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## robin416

Now she can move on to the raising part and stop with the being broody part. You're in for a treat.


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## Maryellen

I had to move them the other hens were trying to peck the baby in the nesting box , they were trying to get in to lay eggs and i heard a commotion so moved Buffy and baby and remaining egg to a temporary nursery. I didnt want the baby to die so i had no choice. I hope the 2nd egg hatches too. I have to go to tsc to get a bigger water bottle for Buffy as she barely can get her beak in the baby water bottle. I have grower food in the grass part for baby and regular food for Buffy in the food bottle. I'm going to name the baby Matilda, if she is a boy then Matty


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## Maryellen

Shoukd i put electrolytes in the water?


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## robin416

No, on the electrolytes. Don't freak if she eats the peeps' feed, its pretty difficult to stop them and for the short time or the small amount they eat it shouldn't be an issue. I didn't use medicated chick feed. It was just easier since I hatched so many every year.

Once she's off the nest she will probably turn in to a lion to prevent the other hens from getting near her chicks.


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## Fiere

That's not a bad idea. Hens expend a lot of condition when brooding.

Also, congrats!


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## Maryellen

She is in a seperate coop ,she was creaking out with the bigger hens trying to peck the baby so i moved her to her own coop and yard so she isnt stressed. One more egg she is sitting on hope it hatches. I'm all giddy lol a nd excited. I'm off to tsc to get bottles for her water that the chick cant drown in and grower food for baby.
The coop is more like a water trough type and nesting box is cardboard for now as i had to act fast this morning. Shoukd i bring her baby egg and trough in the house at night as its not warm here get at night it goes down to the 40's


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## robin416

They will be fine outside. Peep will crawl up under her when its time to sleep or if it gets chilled.

You can put marbles in the regular waterer to prevent peep from drowning. She still can drink.


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## Maryellen

I have the bottle on a brick and baby's is on floor I'll put marbles in big one too. I'll get those this morning as we are doing errands. I hope the baby lives and the other egg hatches . Buffy is sitting on her new nest baby just popped her head out lol. 
Here is the temporary coop until the maternity one arrives Tuesday










It housed my chicks last year and its actually long and rectangular. It looks small for the angle. The bottom is off so Buffy has the grass to eat and her and baby's food too


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## Maryellen

Buffy's water bottle is the baby one from tsc that you get for chicks, its the small one


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## robin416

I can see her struggling with the smaller tray. Even though I used the chick size for all my other birds they large fowl had the gallon size waterer.

Wait a minute, I just realized we're talking a Silkie. She can drink from that once she's used to it. Many of mine do.


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## Maryellen

Lol yep bantam size silkie.. The baby chick water thing is super tiny, Buffy's is the regular baby chick water thing so she will be ok with that bigger one.


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## Maryellen

Its the quart screw on one for chicks the gap is 1 1/2 inches wide


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## Maryellen

The baby's is half inch wide. I put Buffy's on a brick so the chick cant get to it and will put the marbles in once we get back


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## Maryellen

Here she is


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## Maryellen

And more cuteness


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## Maryellen

And here is the water bottles, one for baby and one for Buffy and baby with marbles in it


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## robin416

I've never seen one as small as the chick's. I've always just used the quart size and put marbles in it. After a while I quit even using those. 

Peep is out from under her because she's still got her body regulated to hatch that last egg. It can get just a might warm and moist at that last stage. You can check the egg, put it up to your ear to listen for any sound. Since she's doing the incubation the hatch shouldn't be that staggered.


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## Maryellen

The 2nd egg was laid a few days after the one that hatched too .
I'm sitting here watching her, she is teaching the baby how to eat OMG i got pics galore and a few videos lol..


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## Maryellen

I got the quart one in thats working good with the marbles . I'm sitting in a lawn chair lol next to her. 
This makeshift box isnt predator proof for nighttime so is it ok if i bring it in at night? We have shrinks, raccoons, foxes, opossums here and she and baby are sitting ducks for night predators . I would bring entire box in living room at nightfall and bring back out in the morning. My fiancé is home from work and working outside so he can watch them during the day


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## Maryellen

Do i listen for chick in egg?


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## robin416

Ask me if I'm surprised? On second thought, don't bother. Even after hatching so many watching chicks is pretty special. Having Moms raise them is even better.

Hope you didn't have anything else you needed to get done this weekend.


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## Maryellen

I did everything this morning so i could sit here all day and watch them


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## Maryellen

They are coming in tonight to the spare bedroom until the maternity coop and pen arrive , i feel better knowing they are inside until the new coop is up .


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## Maryellen

My favorite pic


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## robin416

I did have concerns that a large enough predator could over turn that box but that isn't the only reason you brought them in, is it? Put them in the right spot so you can watch and be on the computer at the same time means you don't have to run in and out to watch them.


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## Maryellen

They are in due to predator and my piece of mind lol. Today will be hard going to work and leaving them lol


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## Maryellen

She is being very protective of the egg still. I tried to see the date on it and she got very upset so I'm going to just leave it alone for now. I'll try in a few more days to see the date and try to see if there is a live chick inside


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## robin416

Put your big girl pants on and just take it.  She won't reject the egg when you go to put it back, she won't even fuss at you. She'll either roll the egg back under her if you set in front of you or if you slide it under her, she'll adjust it to where she wants it.


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## Maryellen

Ok i didnt want to stress her out.

This is the maternity coop I'm getting this week, I'm going to try to see if i can put it in the pen so that the hens can still see the baby and Buffy


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## Maryellen

Help!!!!! My fiancé just texted me Buffy is pecking at the remaining egg and looks at it...


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## robin416

Tell him to listen to the egg. Put it up to his ear, listen for any scratching or peeping. I have a feeling the egg isn't viable and she knows it. 

Do you still have the incubator going? Take it from her and put it in there. Its been long enough now that she's ready to move on to raising her existing chick.


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## Maryellen

He is taking the egg and going to put it in incubator once its warm as i closed it down last week. I have to walk him thru setting it up as i am at work i told him to keep egg warm until incubator is running.


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## Maryellen

And he just told me she is back to sitting on the egg she put it back under herself


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## Maryellen

Is she confused ?


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## robin416

No, she may have been trying to convey to the unhatched egg to do something fast. She knows its time to be raising her existing chick and if the other egg does not hurry up and hatch, she's likely to leave the egg.


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## Maryellen

I'm going to candle it tonight and put it in the incubator if there is life inside. If it hatched i can put the baby under her right?


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## robin416

Maybe. Some will take every peep they can. Others will not accept any other chick. I've had both types of hens.

You won't know what she'll do until you have a peep to see her reaction to it.

BTW, you mentioned date. What date? Date the egg was laid or date the egg was put under her? If the date is when it was given to her its not something that should be done. Staggered hatches with broodies is very dicey. One day is generally OK but days later is more than likely risking having the hen leave the nest once hatching starts.

And having hatch dates so spread out leaves the youngest chick struggling to keep up. They generally spend the first day under Mom resting from all of the work of hatching. If she's showing a chick the ropes that is days old that means the littlest one is left behind or trying to keep up. You might have to give peep a warming station for when it needs warmth and rest.


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## Maryellen

The eggs were laid in one week and given to me, thsts why they had diff dates on them. I just candled the 2nd egg and its solid with the air sac showing on one end. This egg is one day after the one that hatched .


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## Maryellen

The egg candled we just looked up and it says day 18, so my friend mismarked the egg i can give it to the other broody silkie who is sitting on everyone else's eggs or put it in the incubator


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## Maryellen

Date the eggs were laid my friend said.


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## robin416

OK, I'm getting more confused here. At what point did the egg go under the hen? If it went under her only a day later than that, peep should have hatched the day after the one she has now.

If the date on the egg is from the laid on date, that has nothing at all to do with incubation time.


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## Maryellen

I think i put this one under her a day or two later, as its dated 5/19 but i am thinking my friend wrote the wrong date on the wrong egg. I had them all in the incubator first before i tried the silkie
The other silkie who is just as broody will be sitting on it from now on until it hatches or is a dud .. She is sitting on a golf ball now just in case so she is ready for a egg. She too steaks eggs and sits on them. I dont want the chick to lose out if its going to hatch so the other silkie can raise that one


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## robin416

If that date is right, it isn't due to hatch until tomorrow.


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## Maryellen

I hope so i called my friend she said she is pretty sure she screwed up the dates as she got distracted.. Since they were free i cant really complain.. If egg doesn't hatch tomorrow its going under Broom Hilda to hatch...


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## Maryellen

If i do this again I'm doing it the right way and getting eggs the right way


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## robin416

You're really confusing me now. Are you assuming I know that you set the eggs on the same date you got them? And that the eggs were laid on the same day they were set?

The only date that matters to you is the day you put those eggs in the bator or under the hen. That's the date you need to be working from, not the laid on date.

I love this computer talking thing but sometimes its so darned hard.


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## Maryellen

Oh no !! The 8 eggs were given to me after they were laid so it was a week . I got them then put them in the incubator for a few days then hen.


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## robin416

What date did they go in the incubator?


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## robin416

So, 5/25 or 5/26. What the heck? That can't be right. Your post about getting the eggs was the 25th. That's not enough time for them to be hatching.


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## Maryellen

They were given to me a week after they were laid , 5/26 i think, around the time i posted. I counted back 21 days and the chick was laid 5/18 as it hatched June. 7 so that was. 21 days .


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## Fiere

It doesn't matter when the egg was laid. Eggs do not develop unless they are being incubated. This is why you can safely crack open and eat and egg without chicks inside it. A chick takes 21 days from *the point it was set to be incubated* to hatch, this can either be using a hen or an incubator. Your chicks eggs would've had to be incubated from May 18th to hatch June 7th. If you got the eggs on May 26th, and put them in the incubator/under the hen that day, the eggs should not be hatching till around June 16th. 

We're the eggs taken out of an incubator or from under a broody hen to be given to you?


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## robin416

Fiere;99079
We're the eggs taken out of an incubator or from under a broody hen to be given to you?[/QUOTE said:


> That's about the only way those dates can work for having this chick hatch several days ago.


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## Maryellen

I asks my friend she said she had taken them from out of her hens to give to me , so that is why i got one sunday. I had counted backwards too and called her last night and she told me her hens were sitting on eggs and those where the ones she gave me. 
Today the other egg goes under the other silkie to sit on to see what happens...


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## robin416

Phew, now this is making more sense. Did she tell you to keep the eggs warm until you got them in the bator?


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## Maryellen

No she didnt. Was i supposed to??? Is that why the other ones didnt work??? I am so pissed now. She knew i had no clue what i was doing she shoukd have told me!!! Omfg ...


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## Maryellen

Well at least now i know what to do...not that i will do this again but if i ever do at least i know niw


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## robin416

You must have thought I was crazy since I kept questioning you about the hatch date. From someone who has hatched a lot none of this made sense. It takes 21 days for a peep to grow enough to hatch. But in trying to put the dates together it just didn't add up. Technically you were sort of right about the laid date since she was already incubating them before you got them. 

And this whole thing also totally puts to bed that you tossed those eggs in error. If they were already being incubated by your friend, then incubated by you then they were 100% duds. 

They can stand a cooling off period but there is a point where that time has gone on too long and they die. You got lucky and had the one hatch. I am more doubtful about the other one that you still have though.


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## Maryellen

Nah i thought i was crazy and did something wrong. I love my friend but she is a ditz..... Now i can stop driving myself nuts about the whole thing...


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## Maryellen

Actually your questioning me raised some flags that made me think she didnt tell me things she was supposed to


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## Maryellen

Bill is holding the egg and he said he thinks he feels something moving in the egg


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## robin416

He should also be hearing something. I would put the egg under the other broody and see if anything happens.

I guess, since you know she can be a ditz, its a good idea to ask us when you've got questions. Might solve a lot of mysteries, like peeps hatching ten days.


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## Maryellen

He cant hear anything due to a ringing in his ears so thats out.. 
Yeah my friend can be really trying at times..... I shake my head a lot with stuff she does lol


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## Maryellen

Egg #2 was put under Buffy's sister Hilda.. I'm not expecting a chick but want to see if something happens.,
Today Buffy walked off the egg and didnt go back to it so bill took it to her sister, let's see if anything happens in the next few days... I'm hoping my maternity coop shows up tomorrow so we can set it up for both silkies to be together


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## Maryellen

2nd egg hatching chick stuck in egg silkie pecked it its bleeding


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## robin416

I'm surprised its alive. Take it away from her, put it in the bator, don't wait for it to warm up and leave it for a while. Just keep an eye on the temp to make sure it doesn't get to warm. He can add hot water to the tray to help warm it quicker. There shouldn't be blood if its ready to hatch unless she caused it injury.

You might have to help but I need way more information before I can guide you through the process.


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## Maryellen

Chick now in house bill panicking its bleeding he is trying to get it out of shell i told him it needs to be moist or it wil damage chick more. I cant leave work grrrrr


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## Maryellen

Apparently silver silkie is a cannabal and tried to kill hatching 2nd egg which we didnt think would hatch.


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## Maryellen

Ok chick out of egg . I have incubator going told him to put chick in what temp do i have him set it at? Would other silkie accept baby ? I dont want her to kill it cause she didnt hatch it


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## Maryellen

I'm at work my neighbor went over looked chick over looks ok she cant see any blood on chick. Buffy keeps jumping out of her box every time she heard the new baby chirping and is trying to find it.
Bill has it under a heat lamp set at 90 degrees in a box with a towel . I feel helpless here at work. Dam egg wasn't supposed to hatch lol


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## Maryellen




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## robin416

If you were there I'd tell you to take the chick back to the other hen to see if she'll take it. She might and she might not. First time Mommas can get confused about what is going on and kill their first hatch.

The problem with giving the peep to Buffy now is that her other chick is so old. It sounds like she would care for it but the difference in age of the two peeps right now is so large. You can put it under her tonight when they go to bed. She can keep it warm and it will have company to sleep with. But chances are you're going to have to put a light in their area to keep the new peep warm when the other two are doing other things. It will catch up enough in a few days but right now it will struggle.


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## Maryellen

I'm so afraid of Hilda killing it. She is a bitch to begin with and very neurotic . I'll try later when i get home and see how it goes. Buffy keeps jumping out of her box to find the baby . Right now baby is drying in her own box in a separate room behind closed doirs(both bedroom doors are shut so Buffy cant get out of bedroom and meet the dogs( 2 dogs are safe with the hens but my male is not so them meeting would be a bloodbath). 
Three day difference is a lot i agree. If i can expand the nursery i can put the heat lamp on one side for the baby when Buffy and Matilda are foraging. They are still in the big box in the bedroom which helps... I'll figure out when i get home from work later. Heat lamp bill said is at 90 and chick has area to go to cool off if need be. I had him put a stuffed chicken i. There so baby isnt all alone.


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## Maryellen




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## robin416

Miracle should be that peep's name. Because it is a miracle it made it this far.


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## Maryellen

I know. Miracle Martha
She loves to be held and is sleeping in my hand  
She got some time with Buffy and Buffy accepted her and so did the other chick, I'm hoping in a few days when she is stronger and bigger she can go with them more .. And i have a feeling Martha is going to be a Marty as she tripled in size since sunday....


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## Maryellen

She has a nice dent in the side of her head from being pecked by Hilda... The next few weeks will see if she makes it. She is already pecking the chick food too


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## Maryellen

I pulled my short over her like Buffy would with her wing.


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## robin416

If you haven't heard it before, chickens are very social and hate being alone. That's why I suggested putting it up under Buffy this evening at bedtime. Otherwise its liable to keep you up all night crying. And there's nothing worse listening to than a peep crying.


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## Maryellen

My neighbor told my fiancé Buffy might squish her by accident so now he is terrified she will squish her, every time we put her in with her Buffy steps on her.


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## Maryellen

What should i do tomorrow? I have to go to work and bill has dr appts so little Miracle will be alone. Shoukd i chance her staying with Buffy and Matilda during the day???


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## Maryellen

She has made it this far i would hate to see her die from being stepped on by Buffy. I cant bring her to work


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## Maryellen

Yes i am being paranoid


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## robin416

First, don't put her in until bed time. Over night she should gain enough strength to stay out of the way. 

What are you currently using for warmth? What kind of light and fixture. Look to see how you might be able to set things up for peep. My pens were 4x4 so its hard for me to tell you how to do a warming station in your current setup.


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## Maryellen

Right now we have a heat lamp over her box to keep her warm. Thermometer says 90 in the box


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## Maryellen




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## Maryellen

This is Buffy's set up its small


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## Maryellen

Buffy keeps turning around in her nest to get the new check settled but lets stepping on her as chick is still wobbly


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## robin416

You really don't need to use a heat lamp bulb, any light bulb will work. Just lower it so that there is an area of warmth. 

You can take the box out for the day, clamp the bell lamp to the side of the crate using a smaller wattage light bulb. Peep just needs a small warm spot to go to when it needs to warm up. Buffy will also hunker down to warm peep up or while they take a nap. 

I would feel better about that setup if it was a foot larger but for peep not to be stressed all day by itself then you will have to give something a try.


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## Maryellen

Its dark in Buffy's room shoukd i put Miracle in now?


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## Maryellen

Bill is terrified she will be squished grrrr


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## robin416

Yes, put peep in with them. Just slide it up under her wing. It will snuggle in the way it needs to be and sleep as long as they do.

Tell Bill I raised hundreds of chicks and have never had one crushed by the hen. Even when I've handed out peeps that hatched days after the ones the hen hatched.


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## Maryellen

I'm going to sleep in their room tonight. Now what do i do tomorrow for the day with chick / leave with Buffy and baby or alone in box with stuffed animals? We are really afraid she will get squished and i would feel so guilty if she died because i put her with buffy


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## robin416

I already said what to try on the page before this one. 

At this point you need a stiff drink or four. Stand back, deep breath and think. You're right there, you can see what you have to work with. Figure out a way to allow peep to stay with Buffy for the day. If it means moving them all in to a closet for the day and putting the light in there for them to see and to keep peep warm, then do that. If you have non skid, put them in the bath tub for the day with the light for warmth. That also gives them more space.


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## Maryellen

Ok she is under her wing. I'm still scared. I'll never hear the end of it if she gets squished .. I'm fighting with him to leave her with buffy


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## Maryellen

I'm going to see if i can set up a regular bulb somehow. If peep stays in nesting box I'll have to try to angle light to box


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## robin416

Tell him peep needs this. The stress of being alone, sleeping alone is hard on them. You need peep to sleep well to build strength to join Buffy and its sib, crying all night long because its alone won't accomplish that. You just might be pleasantly surprised in the morning to see how well its doing with them.


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## Maryellen

I'm sleeping in here now, everyone is sleeping good. He is more worried about tomorrow when he has to go for his mri he is afraid peep will be pecked or stepped on and die, he got really upset today when he saw Hilda try to kill peep so now its all he is thinks about that it could happen again with Buffy and Matilda stepping on her or pecking her.


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## Maryellen

I keep telling him the stress is worse but he says he wants peep to live


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## Maryellen

I'm really hoping they do well tonight and before he goes for his mri so he leaves them all together. I'll be at work so i cant make him listen as I'll tell him one thing and he will not listen


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## robin416

Ask him if he wants peep to be happy or if he's going to let his unfounded concerns make the peep miserable all day being alone? 

Buffy is not going to peck peep, she's already gone in search for it. If she hears peep crying all day by itself then she's going to be upset and jumping out of the box to go look for it. Then the other peep will be alone. 

And for me, tell him to get a grip.


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## Maryellen

Peep was under her wing then came out and now Buffy has peep under her chest. 
I keep telling him peep needs to be with Buffy and that she will be ok. I am going to tell him tomorrow morning peep stays with Buffy while he is gone. I just hope he listens.


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## Maryellen

Miracle has survived the night and they are getting along really good i told bill how well they are getting along and said they can stay together now. 

And Matilda i have a funny feeling is going to be a Marty... She has some tail feathers coming in already that are a little toooo long on her butt....


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## Maryellen

Omg he is panicking now Buffy stepped on peep . Peep is ok . I need a bottle not a drink


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## Fiere

They do that. She probably stepped on her first chick 40 times by now. The hen will move slower and the chicks will move faster. They don't stand there with the chick squished under their foot suffocating. 

You weren't concerned with this with the first chick, relax with the second chick!


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## Maryellen

Its more him driving me nuts. I was a bit more concerned due to her injury and how tiny she is, she is way tinier then matilda(who has a few tail feathers sprouting already and is triple the size and who might be Marty in 4 months )
He is over worrying and second guessing me and not listening to me. Either the peep is going to survive or not i feel. The next few weeks will tell..


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## robin416

My husband very rarely does something like that with me but when he does, I say shut up. Yes, I really say shut up. Its almost like a smack in the face its such a shock to him that I even said something like that. Its like he gets on this hamster wheel worrying about nothing and until he's shocked off of it. Bill is reminding me of hubs now.

Think about the breeds of chickens she has. Is it possible the second chick is a bantam and that the first is a large fowl?


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## Maryellen

All her chickens are regular size, she has no bantams at all and never did., her rooster is HUGE . But all her hens are regular size ( some are bigger then my RSL) 
Or maybe Miracle Martha is a runt? Do chickens have runt chicks like dogs and cats etc?


She has no other farms or people with chickens near her either. So little peep is a mystery lol


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## Maryellen

Yeah bill was never like this until his head injury 3 years ago, since then he obsesses over stuff he never used to. I normally tell him to walk away but this time he was so upset he wasn't hearing me


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## robin416

There are dwarfs but they have obvious signs, short long bones being the most obvious. I posted a pic of Dwarf a while back, she was a dwarf. She stood half the height of the other Silkies but had the same size body.

None of us realize how much a head injury can impact lives after they say the injury is healed unless you're close to them and see the difference.


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## Maryellen

There is no b2 at pharmacy


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