I second your idea of taking a walk. I cherish my walks with my dogs. I meditate or pray or just let my head go empty and concentrate on relaxing or count bird nests in trees or look at flowers in people's yards. It's total me time!
As far as your broody hen... if this is the second bad hatch, has she hatched stuff successfully last year? Hopefully today some of the other eggs hatched. Keep us posted!
Well I just went down to check my hen and there is a chick. Well, I kinda helped it out of its shell. It's peeping. Seems a bit wobbly. I have never seen one that new.
One question. Could it be possible that my pine shavings are too fluffy and soft. They were new when I transferred the broody and her clutch. I am wondering if the first chick suffocated? I was looking at the tiny chick under the hen and it seemed to be sprawled out under her.
I need to stay in the house and let mother nature take its course. I don't want to have to use the brooder. Humm???? I wonder if I should get it ready just in case.
Do they smell strongly of pine or has the smell disappeared? I can't think of where I got this idea but I thought you weren't supposed to hatch chicks on pine shavings or use pine in the brooder. Maybe I'm thinking of something else. If you have a minute, you might google it.
Ok I just check on the chick. Its dry. Up and kinda moving. Not under the hen but kinda sitting next to her. It's very warm here today, close to 85 and they are in an enclosed wood house with windows. So I am sure it's warm.
From what I have read it is cedar shavings that one shouldn't use with chickens; pine should be OK (hope so anyway, as that is what I use ). I don't know about the fluffiness being a problem. If you think it is or might be could you remove some of the shavings?
Ok so I emailed the pic from my phone to myself. Saved it on the computer in my zoom-browser program. hen I uploaded it to this site. It says its the wrong file type. I have no idea.