Colorado

[samsr]

10 hatched. they are now in the brooder. We will leave the remaining eggs in the incubator until tomorrow just in case.

Outstanding on the early season chicks. I have 24 chichen eggs in the incubator and one quail egg in there also. My silkie has gone broody and is sitting on 7 eggs. 4 chicken and 3 quail eggs. She is the cutest little thing when you open up the door. She puffs up like she is a huge chicken and growls. We will find out if she can hatch some eggs. So far she is doing great. No poopy eggs, unlike my cochins first attempt. We will let the cochin try again when she becomes broody.
I am starting to save my americauna eggs now. If they are fertile. The dad would be my leghorn or my little white silkie. Either one would be an interesting cross.

 

[Euarto Gullible]

Here's some pics of my little guys on their first day outside, today.






Mama Bear gave me the stink eye today and threatened to take a finger if I messed with her eggs. Anybody else use broody hens for hatching? If so what makes a good broody? Are any of yours mean?

 

[Pozees]

I have used my Silkies a few times, they are wonderful - they can get very growly and pecky but do a wonderful job incubating eggs! I have one that's been glued to a nest for a week now with nothing under her, so I'm going to give her some eggs to hatch.

 

[Euarto Gullible]

I have used my Silkies a few times, they are wonderful - they can get very growly and pecky but do a wonderful job incubating eggs! I have one that's been glued to a nest for a week now with nothing under her, so I'm going to give her some eggs to hatch.

In your experience, when they hatch eggs, is there any pattern to the way they arrange the eggs? Do they leave the same eggs in the same spot and simply roll them, or is there some type of systematic rotation?

 

[wsmith]

First hatch of the 2014 season. 10 chicks total. 35% hatch rate. These came from eggs collected the last full week of January.

 

[wsmith]

Outstanding on the early season chicks. I have 24 chichen eggs in the incubator and one quail egg in there also. My silkie has gone broody and is sitting on 7 eggs. 4 chicken and 3 quail eggs. She is the cutest little thing when you open up the door. She puffs up like she is a huge chicken and growls. We will find out if she can hatch some eggs. So far she is doing great. No poopy eggs, unlike my cochins first attempt. We will let the cochin try again when she becomes broody.
I am starting to save my americauna eggs now. If they are fertile. The dad would be my leghorn or my little white silkie. Either one would be an interesting cross.

Cool! can't wait to see what you get! When are you expecting the hatch?

 

[Pozees]

Euarto, I have never noted a pattern, no, in fact at times I've had two on the adjacent nests, and they drag eggs back and forth between them, or when one gets up the other will pull the extras under her if she can, or spread across them. They are very determined little Mamas.

 

[chlskt]

I have showgirls that get funny like that when they get broody, if there are no eggs, they will actually get bigger rocks that are laying around and sit on them, it's the funniest thing! I have to take the rocks away so they start laying again. I had one of them even hatch out a serama egg that I had, unfortunately, the chick disappeared a couple days later, not sure if a mouse or skunk got it. That was such a bummer to get that far and have it disappear.

 

[trsturself]

Congrats on the hatches!

My temp is staying much steadier with the minor tweaks and in the new spot.

 

[trsturself]

Candled the eggs today. It's only day 3 but we noticed a crack in one so I wanted to make sure there weren't other cracks.
We found 2 eggs with cracks in Suncatchers eggs, we put some fingernail polish over them. I can't see any development in them but we left them in there. In the rest of hers we saw 4 with definite development, 1 possible blood ring (hard to tell at this stage) and 5 that we can't tell anything (2 are too dark and the others might be clear).
For Pozees eggs there were 8 with definite development, 3 possible blood rings, and 4 that are possible clear.
Of course we left them all in there for now and will candle again on day 7.
I'm happy with the temp and humidity though so I feel like they have the best chance I can give them.