Heartwoman
In the Brooder
- Oct 9, 2022
- 6
- 55
- 48
I had problems with some eggs hatching for American Bresse too. I wasn't offered another dozen or anything. Lucky for me I found a local auction that had 4 hens and a rooster for sale. The whole deal cost probably over $100. I'm in Ohio. Where are you?Hatch day was Friday and ended up with 4. FOUR chicks out of 24 eggs. 17 were clear (infertile, zero development at 10 days- I broke each into a dish and found not even a hint of a bullseye) and two had very small embryos about the size of a cowpea. One, which initially was developing apace with the final four, quit at the two-week mark.
Nurture Right 360, calibrated thermometer and hygrometer in addition to the factory units- factory thermometer reads .2*F lower than actual, factory hygrometer reads 4% lower than actual, so both within a whisper of perfect aka cceptable deviation.
I called the guy and asked if he'd had reports of fertility issues, he said no and offered me another dozen. I'll pick them up when I'm close, I guess.
Turns out there's another chicken addict close to my place who raises Bresse and we got to talking. He had a hen who just hatched 16 chicks two days before mine hatched and he offered me "a couple" so I took him up on it. He showed me around his farm- pretty cool place- and then put 3 little nugs in a carrier.
So I have a total of seven from two different sources. I banded the gift ones so I can use a rooster from one batch and hens from the other, IF they have a favorable split.