Advice on incubated egg - is it viable?

[MGG]

All right, I will, thank you! So I will try and candle the eggs on Wednesday, which should be the 16th day (or should 15th day be enough?) and see what happens. If there will be no change whatsoever I will turn the incubator off. Thank you for all your advice, much appreciated!

Wednesday is good.
Hopefully there's some growth by then.

 

[MGG]

Thank you! I've read about the shipped eggs as well so it definitely might contribute to this. But I think it's the incubator that is a game-changer - if I would have a better one (ideally automatic), I think almost all the issues would be solved.

Yeah. Is there any way you could get a better incubator (buy or rent) for one more batch? And I agree with Avery, any way to get local eggs?

 

[VlkStinu]

Yeah. Is there any way you could get a better incubator (buy or rent) for one more batch? And I agree with Avery, any way to get local eggs?

I definitely could. Not rent, but buy. But I think that what I will do if this won't be successful is to get fertilized eggs once the hens I will adopt will be ready to incubate them - that way they will be both incubated and raised afterwards perfectly and naturally as they should. And it will give the hens a chance to raise them (something that they won't otherwise ever experience) and this way the chicks will blend in with the flock seamlessly. And it will mean less work for me as well, so all in all a win win situation in my eyes.

 

[VlkStinu]

Wednesday is good.
Hopefully there's some growth by then.

Awesome. I will post pictures on Wednesday then. Thank you!

 

[MGG]

I definitely could. Not rent, but buy. But I think that what I will do if this won't be successful is to get fertilized eggs once the hens I will adopt will be ready to incubate them - that way they will be both incubated and raised afterwards perfectly and naturally as they should. And it will give the hens a chance to raise them (something that they won't otherwise ever experience) and this way the chicks will blend in with the flock seamlessly. And it will mean less work for me as well, so all in all a win win situation in my eyes.

What kind of hens are you getting again? They might never go broody, just so you know. Even if they're broody breeds. And if they're first time mothers, they might abandon the eggs halfway through, or reject and kill the chicks as they hatch. It is great when you get a good broody, and so fun to watch them raise babies. But, there are risks to be aware of. I would maybe get a better incubator, and try just one more batch.

 

[MGG]

Awesome. I will post pictures on Wednesday then. Thank you!

Sounds good.

 

[VlkStinu]

What kind of hens are you getting again? They might never go broody, just so you know. Even if they're broody breeds. And if they're first time mothers, they might abandon the eggs halfway through, or reject and kill the chicks as they hatch. It is great when you get a good broody, and so fun to watch them raise babies. But, there are risks to be aware of. I would maybe get a better incubator, and try just one more batch.

I knew it sounds easier than it actually is in reality, damn... It seemed like an ideal option really. The hens are from industrial poultry house where they lay eggs - I think they are often leghorns - which I now realize is a breed that doesn't go broody right?

Well, another option is to just drop this entire endeavor and just adopt the hens and not raise any chicks. I will have to think about it some more to decide...

 

[black_cat]

I knew it sounds easier than it actually is in reality, damn... It seemed like an ideal option really. The hens are from industrial poultry house where they lay eggs - I think they are often leghorns - which I now realize is a breed that doesn't go broody right?

Well, another option is to just drop this entire endeavor and just adopt the hens and not raise any chicks. I will have to think about it some more to decide...

Leghorns almost never go broody, sadly (or not sadly depending on what you want from them) If you get a rooster, you would get fertile eggs from your hens and you could incubate those-I know that in the US there is never a shortage of extra roos. If you do that you want to try to have 6+ hens, but that's not a firm number, so you may need more or less for a good ratio. You could also try buying more fertile eggs at once to incubate, or a bunch of day old or week old chicks.

 

[VlkStinu]

Leghorns almost never go broody, sadly (or not sadly depending on what you want from them) If you get a rooster, you would get fertile eggs from your hens and you could incubate those-I know that in the US there is never a shortage of extra roos. If you do that you want to try to have 6+ hens, but that's not a firm number, so you may need more or less for a good ratio. You could also try buying more fertile eggs at once to incubate, or a bunch of day old or week old chicks.

Thank you for your input! Oh yes, buying chicks also crossed my mind. But it's not the same as when you incubate them yourself.

 

[black_cat]

Thank you for your input! Oh yes, buying chicks also crossed my mind. But it's not the same as when you incubate them yourself.

Of course! I haven't been lucky enough to have the opportunity to incubate, so I just jealously look at the incubation threads on here. (parents+rooster laws+money=no incubator)