Are Your Hens Setting On Eggs Yet? 2012 POULT FORECAST

[kuntrygirl]

I think I"ll be moving my first hatched poults to a large chain link fence this weekend.

 

[jc12551]

I have a BTW Jap. Bantam sitting on a couple turkey eggs. Think she can do it and raise them successfully? All three of my girls build nests, lay about four eggs in them, then abandon the eggs for a new nest. Bantam girl took over a nest.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have a BTW Jap. Bantam sitting on a couple turkey eggs.  Think she can do it and raise them successfully?  All three of my girls build nests, lay about four eggs in them, then abandon the eggs for a new nest.  Bantam girl took over a nest. 

Yep, I think she can do it.

 

[jc12551]

Yep, I think she can do it.

Well one of my blue slate hens beat the poor bantam up and convinced her to leave the nest. Now the turkey hen is on the nest. Any hope for the eggs? Could they have gotten too chilled the day they were fighting?

To beat it all, the hen rolled the eggs to a corner of the chicken coop and it just sitting on them kinda in the way (attacked my ankles when I was trying to come in to feed!). I have heard it is not advisable to move a broody hen. True or not?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote: Well one of my blue slate hens beat the poor bantam up and convinced her to leave the nest. Now the turkey hen is on the nest. Any hope for the eggs? Could they have gotten too chilled the day they were fighting?

To beat it all, the hen rolled the eggs to a corner of the chicken coop and it just sitting on them kinda in the way (attacked my ankles when I was trying to come in to feed!). I have heard it is not advisable to move a broody hen. True or not?

Awwwwww. Sorry to hear that the little bantam got beat up. Poor girl. In my experience, it is very difficult to move a broody hen. I was NEVER successful. I just work around them and try to keep them safe and secure. If she is protected from the weather and predators, I wouldn't advise that you move her but that's just my 2 cents. Let us know what you decide. I'm sending good vibes your way on a successful brood and hatch.

 

[Rodster]

Hi from St Pete. middle of januay Momma began laying eggs. I had one, my roommate had the other. fried is better then boiled i think. Anyways, about 2 weeks later there was a bunch of them all at once. about beginning of feb, mamma started sitting. looked like about 12 turkey eggs and 3 chicken eggs, as the hens kept laying next to her. i kept the chicken eggs out until after the first week, then allowed 3 to stay in, as the timing woud work out. Last thursday i could hear the eggs pipping under momma but i couldn't see, so i took paternaty leave from work to stay home and monitor. next morning low and behold, the baby chicken was the first to emerge. by sunday, march 2nd, the day my dad died 13 years ago i had 4 turkeys and a chick making 5 total. as i watched thru the week, momma kept on the remaining 9 eggs. by thursday she was getting restless and i decided to have a closer look at the eggs. Well, i started with the chicken eggs and they were both liquid under the light.. one had bugs. Next was the turkey eggs, oldest looking first, as i know my other turkey had been laying eggs next to mamma and a few may have sipped under her after she began to brood. The largest one was ooozing and after candling it was decided to do a drop test, in which we were met with an egg full of dead fly larvea and a watery, yukky mess. the second egg exploded on my roommate and i candled the rest to find 4 that were questionable. i carefully openet the air sac on the blunt end only to find red... oh ****, too late, the whole top is now off. i peer inside to see what looks like a miniature duck swim up to the surface and peer back at me. he then dove back down, did a sumersault and hid behind the yolk. great. looks like it was still a good week from being ready. my roommate and i after an hour of wondering what to do and taking turns holding it, we finally got our very first, hollowed out turkey egg shell we'd saved from january and carefully cut off the blunt end. luckily it was a bigger egg. we then got superglue and glued the "new" top back on with a little frindge overhang, which we filled with ground shell and superglue, effectively ealing it back up. best we could do. i then decided to more carefully candle the others and was actually able to detect 3 more very large embryos, still moving, and a 4th that was definately alive, but probably only a week old, as it was a much smaller dark spot, but wouldn't quit moving. these things definately move inside if you watch long enough with a strong enought light. So, after another 4 days, momma is now sick of her nest and wants to play, eat and mingle, but also knows she has eggs still alive.The chicks are now a week old and are doing GREAT, and i have their pen so they can't get out, but mama can, with a sun window to the meadow where she can graze and still see the kids. i have an incubator i can gety today so i can keep a closer eye on the eggs and give momma a respite. i dont actually expect the egg i opened to survive, but i didnt have the heart to just kill it and fgured it it DID make it, it wouldbe a really neat story. Thanks for reading. ill post back with an update later.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Any more poults hatching?

 

[SillyChicken]

forgot to post in MI, getting a few eggs from my bbw hen, guess she gets to stay a little longer (wonder how a bbw and royal cross will turn out) I put 3 eggs in the bator cause she's talking her sweet time laying eggs. Lots of breeding going on, but the royal hen's have not started to lay yet.

 

[coberdor]

I have some due next weekend.

They are from my mixed heritage pen. A jersey buff tom over blue slate, sweetgrass and a penciled red palm hens. The red palm hen is broody and I think has a couple of eggs under her. She is the one who layed all the eggs that are in the bator now. The other 3 hens have not started laying yet.

I do have some of my araucana and mille fleur chicks hatching though.

 

[newduckie]

Hi from St Pete. middle of januay Momma began laying eggs. I had one, my roommate had the other. fried is better then boiled i think. Anyways, about 2 weeks later there was a bunch of them all at once. about beginning of feb, mamma started sitting. looked like about 12 turkey eggs and 3 chicken eggs, as the hens kept laying next to her. i kept the chicken eggs out until after the first week, then allowed 3 to stay in, as the timing woud work out. Last thursday i could hear the eggs pipping under momma but i couldn't see, so i took paternaty leave from work to stay home and monitor. next morning low and behold, the baby chicken was the first to emerge. by sunday, march 2nd, the day my dad died 13 years ago i had 4 turkeys and a chick making 5 total. as i watched thru the week, momma kept on the remaining 9 eggs. by thursday she was getting restless and i decided to have a closer look at the eggs. Well, i started with the chicken eggs and they were both liquid under the light.. one had bugs. Next was the turkey eggs, oldest looking first, as i know my other turkey had been laying eggs next to mamma and a few may have sipped under her after she began to brood. The largest one was ooozing and after candling it was decided to do a drop test, in which we were met with an egg full of dead fly larvea and a watery, yukky mess. the second egg exploded on my roommate and i candled the rest to find 4 that were questionable. i carefully openet the air sac on the blunt end only to find red... oh ****, too late, the whole top is now off. i peer inside to see what looks like a miniature duck swim up to the surface and peer back at me. he then dove back down, did a sumersault and hid behind the yolk. great. looks like it was still a good week from being ready. my roommate and i after an hour of wondering what to do and taking turns holding it, we finally got our very first, hollowed out turkey egg shell we'd saved from january and carefully cut off the blunt end. luckily it was a bigger egg. we then got superglue and glued the "new" top back on with a little frindge overhang, which we filled with ground shell and superglue, effectively ealing it back up. best we could do. i then decided to more carefully candle the others and was actually able to detect 3 more very large embryos, still moving, and a 4th that was definately alive, but probably only a week old, as it was a much smaller dark spot, but wouldn't quit moving. these things definately move inside if you watch long enough with a strong enought light. So, after another 4 days, momma is now sick of her nest and wants to play, eat and mingle, but also knows she has eggs still alive.The chicks are now a week old and are doing GREAT, and i have their pen so they can't get out, but mama can, with a sun window to the meadow where she can graze and still see the kids. i have an incubator i can gety today so i can keep a closer eye on the eggs and give momma a respite. i dont actually expect the egg i opened to survive, but i didnt have the heart to just kill it and fgured it it DID make it, it wouldbe a really neat story. Thanks for reading. ill post back with an update later.

Amazing story. Anxious to hear results..