So you know that saying all things come in 3s? Well last weekend I mentioned to my in laws if we wanted to incubate eggs this year at all it had to be started by September 1st, because we go on vacation during Thanksgiving week so chicks need to be moved to my in laws by then. So we start to plan for incubating within the next week or 2. Then they mention they really need more chicks because a predator must have gotten one as she just disappeared. Now me being the one who picked and raised all their chickens asked which one, and find out it’s their BO… they are thinking predator, now I’m thinking ‘oooo broody hen! Let’s go find her!’
Here is where the law of 3s starts. I go on my mission to find the hen and think ‘well they have access under a shed in their run so they can stay cool and protected.’ Go look and first thing I see is EGGS EVERYWHERE! So I get assistance taking down the mesh near them and use a rake to gently pull all the eggs out, while doing this I find the broody hen sitting on huge pile of eggs about 3ft away from the rest of all these. Decide to candle the 15 eggs I pulled out, and 3 are still alive and well, but momma hen is too far under to give them to her. So I rush to the store for an incubator since I needed one anyways. Toss the 3 eggs plus all laid that day into it, get home and add 2 of my own duck eggs.
Well a few days go by most the eggs are doing great a few aren’t showing signs yet, but I’m giving them a bit more time before I toss them.. Then my kids accidentally forget to lock our chicken run while gathering eggs we lost 4 chickens to our dogs. While we were sad it was something we expected plus our birds aren’t pets even though we love them.
Then you get to today. My chickens need a new bag of food, and my snakes need rats so I go to the feed store and come home with 6 new chicks!
So basically I now have 1. Broody hen on an unknown number of eggs. 2. 7/11 eggs in the incubator showing great signs of growth, 3 from the shed due next week. 3. 6 new pullets to replace the 4 I lost
The math adds up!
Here is where the law of 3s starts. I go on my mission to find the hen and think ‘well they have access under a shed in their run so they can stay cool and protected.’ Go look and first thing I see is EGGS EVERYWHERE! So I get assistance taking down the mesh near them and use a rake to gently pull all the eggs out, while doing this I find the broody hen sitting on huge pile of eggs about 3ft away from the rest of all these. Decide to candle the 15 eggs I pulled out, and 3 are still alive and well, but momma hen is too far under to give them to her. So I rush to the store for an incubator since I needed one anyways. Toss the 3 eggs plus all laid that day into it, get home and add 2 of my own duck eggs.
Well a few days go by most the eggs are doing great a few aren’t showing signs yet, but I’m giving them a bit more time before I toss them.. Then my kids accidentally forget to lock our chicken run while gathering eggs we lost 4 chickens to our dogs. While we were sad it was something we expected plus our birds aren’t pets even though we love them.
Then you get to today. My chickens need a new bag of food, and my snakes need rats so I go to the feed store and come home with 6 new chicks!
So basically I now have 1. Broody hen on an unknown number of eggs. 2. 7/11 eggs in the incubator showing great signs of growth, 3 from the shed due next week. 3. 6 new pullets to replace the 4 I lost
The math adds up!
Keep us posted!
