August 3rd: clock starts now - Hatch-Along

[SportChick]

Is anyone else starting an incubation now? I just put 8 eggs under my broody hen. We are definitely backyard hen folks so I haven't done this since we incubated our original flock 3 years ago and never did it with a broody hen! Not sure if it will be simpler or more complicated honestly.

I've put 3 BCM eggs and 5 lavendar Ameracauna eggs under my BCM hen. She's been off and on broody all summer and we are looking for more color to our eggs. So far, so good.

Please join in if you are incubating now!!

 

[nuggetchick]

I set eggs yesterday. I have 2 broody Black Giant hens sitting together. I gave them each 10 duck eggs - a mix of Pekin, Mallard and Indian Runners. Last summer was our first set, we had a leghorn and black giant that hatched 9 of 10 Pekins! I tried again about 3 months ago and the hen left the nest part way through - I had added more straw for her nest and I think this is what caused her to get up. So my suggestion is to let them do their thing! I have them in a separate room with their own food and water and I put cloths over the windows as I read the darkness is helpful to keep them broody. We have roosters now too so the next one, I'll let the hens hatch hens but for now, they don't seem to mind or realize they're setting ducks!

 

[SportChick]

Thanks for the tip! I will avoid adding straw to her nest. Happily I had fluffed it up before she got her eggs. We have a small flock so have a double wide egg box with no divider. All the hens tend to lay in the same spot. Now when one goes to lay, our broody hen takes the opportunity to go get a drink. Then we have have to sneak the unfertilized eggs out, which really makes her mad.

Our coop is up high, over a fenced in area and I'm worried the new chicks will fall off the ramp the hens use to go up and down. Will the mama hen teach them or should I plan to move them as soon as they are hatched to something a little more chick proof?

As I had mentioned, the last time we had chicks, we hatched them in an incubator and they lived in my dining room for a month or so. I've never had chicks in with the rest of the hens before. Will the mama teach them everything so I don't have to worry so much?

 

[chickinthebator]

Best of luck!

 

[SportChick]

Best of luck!

Thanks!