Got a call on my way home yesterday afternoon, to say that OC (other chap) had found a dead chick outside the coop at the allotments. The broody (the first one) had also abandoned the remaining eggs.
The chick was part way through hatching when it had been thrown from the nest. We don't know, of course, whether Mum did it, whether Auntie (who is also broody) did it, or whether Dad did it.
We brought the other 2 blue eggs home (in my armpits) and put them in the incubator. The brown egg - which Mum had stolen from Auntie - was replaced under Auntie. Later on that evening we candled the blue eggs to find hey weren't fertile. What a shame that the one fertile egg should have been destroyed.
On a more positive note, the three blue eggs in the incubator have all hatched. They are bigger than the Dorking-crosses (from the brown eggs, remember?) which hatched a couple of days ago, so we're going to pop the in the Lunar Module with the three Dorking crosses as soon as all three of them are dry.
Meanwhile, the Five spent their second night outside in the Eglu, along with a heated pad, and I think we'll leave them out there now. Next step will be when they are on Growers pellets and can move to their permanent home on the Allotment.
The chick was part way through hatching when it had been thrown from the nest. We don't know, of course, whether Mum did it, whether Auntie (who is also broody) did it, or whether Dad did it.
We brought the other 2 blue eggs home (in my armpits) and put them in the incubator. The brown egg - which Mum had stolen from Auntie - was replaced under Auntie. Later on that evening we candled the blue eggs to find hey weren't fertile. What a shame that the one fertile egg should have been destroyed.
On a more positive note, the three blue eggs in the incubator have all hatched. They are bigger than the Dorking-crosses (from the brown eggs, remember?) which hatched a couple of days ago, so we're going to pop the in the Lunar Module with the three Dorking crosses as soon as all three of them are dry.
Meanwhile, the Five spent their second night outside in the Eglu, along with a heated pad, and I think we'll leave them out there now. Next step will be when they are on Growers pellets and can move to their permanent home on the Allotment.
