BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[BDutch]

Egg candling broodies & incubator
Yesterday evening before I went to bed (already tired) I candled eggs for the second time.

6 eggs under Black and Ini mini, candled 3 eggs:
Took the first one out. I could see through There was no number on it. Then I realised it was an egg from Katrientje, my Rhode Island red .

The other 2 (#5 and #6) are doing well. The broodies cover the eggs much better now than in the beginning. The first days the broodies sat more or less on top of each other on one clutch of 6 eggs. Now the broodies sit side by side with each 2-4 eggs underneath.

4 Incubator eggs:
2 embryos in the eggs in the incubator have not grown properly. The other two have grown well.

I want to candle the other 4 eggs under the broodies if they give me a chance. Discard any that didn’t grow and lay the two good incubator eggs under the two broodies to exchange or just add them.

The incubator can be dismissed.

Candle torches:
My old candle torch broke. I took of the cap (ring) and put it on my phone the first time I candled. It worked fine but I had to be careful.

Bought a new torch with a stronger light. Wrapped a piece of cardboard around it and taped it. It’s a better candle torch than the old one or the phone with the cap/ring.

Red mites:
Many precautions (DE paint mixed in the sand, tobacco in the roost area, special herbal liquid in the water containers, herbal powder in the chick feed) and I am controlling very thorough this year, trying to prevent a new infestation.
I haven’t seen any grown red mites this spring, but possibly a tiny nymph in the control rolls in the broodies nest-box a few times. Both times I rubbed some DE between the feathers of the two broodies. Nighttime inspections are okay. Control rolls are clean again after dusting.

Tintin & Pearl
Tintin stil peeps if he gets lost. No crows yet. What I thought I heard earlier this week must have been something else.
Mother Pearl and adopted son Tintin free ranging together.

 

[BDutch]

I had no good opportunity to candle the hatching eggs from under the broodies yesterday morning. Added just one from the incubator. And kept the incubator going.

I was not happy yesterday evening when I got home at 18 h. One of the broodies pooped in the nest. I have several dirty eggs now. took out te dirty hay.

Later in the evening at bed-time I was even more disappointed.
Two eggs where not under the broodies. One was still warm, but the other one is cold. Possibly death.

I took the cold egg inside and put it in the mini-incubator. Try to make a picture today and again in two days time, then I hope to be able to see if its death or growing. Glad it was still on with the spare eggs.

Pearl abandoned Tintin. Pearl roosts with the other hens now, except for Janice. She went back to her usual separate roost in the broody area.
Tintin slept alone in the nestbox next ‘door’ from the broodies.

Im trying to figure out the next step in intervention.
“Intervene or not to intervene? “
Tintin may sleep in the cockerel cage next night for sure.
Maybe I will try to let the hatching eggs grow longer as intended or even hatch the spare eggs in the mini incubator after all. I don’t expect a very good hatch / outcome from my anymore.

 

[2ndTink]

I had no good opportunity to candle the hatching eggs from under the broodies yesterday morning. Added just one from the incubator. And kept the incubator going.

I was not happy yesterday evening when I got home at 18 h. One of the broodies pooped in the nest. I have several dirty eggs now. took out te dirty hay.

Later in the evening at bed-time I was even more disappointed.
Two eggs where not under the broodies. One was still warm, but the other one is cold. Possibly death.

I took the cold egg inside and put it in the mini-incubator. Try to make a picture today and again in two days time, then I hope to be able to see if its death or growing. Glad it was still on with the spare eggs.

Pearl abandoned Tintin. Pearl roosts with the other hens now, except for Janice. She went back to her usual separate roost in the broody area.
Tintin slept alone in the nestbox next ‘door’ from the broodies.

Im trying to figure out the next step in intervention.
“Intervene or not to intervene? “
Tintin may sleep in the cockerel cage next night for sure.
Maybe I will try to let the hatching eggs grow longer as intended or even hatch the spare eggs in the mini incubator after all. I don’t expect a very good hatch / outcome from my anymore.

Geez, what a day. I hope you still get some to hatch.

Poor Tintin, he'll probably adjust quickly though!

 

[ManueB]

I'm not sure I understood right- you still had the incubator on ? So you have spare eggs to replace the possible dead one ?

Do you have any idea what happened, and is it possible that Pearl leaving Tintin caused some disturbance for the broodies ?

As for Tintin's night setting : I am not sure putting him in complete darkness will help with crowing. My roosters sometimes crow in the middle of the night because a hen has moved in the coop or some noise outside disturbs them and they begin crowing well before day light

You could try using a shade cloth covering all the cage but you would need to put it over poles slightly higher so as to leave some air. It makes it completely dark and stops the heat but it also blocks ventilation. I put it over part of my infirmary crate when it's too hot in summer to keep it cool.

And for the sound you can try sound absorbing padding. The ones we had as library furniture were extremely efficient, but also big and expensive ; but you can find very basic sound absorbing pads on the likes of Amazon that would maybe help.

Honestly I think the only real solution to keep the volume down at night, apart from not having a rooster, is to keep him in your garage or in a storage room. But be aware that as soon as he wakes up he will in any situation crow to let his hens know where he is.

 

[BDutch]

Today is a lot better!

Geez, what a day. I hope you still get some to hatch.

I sure hope so too. When I let the chickens free range and filled up an empty bowl and gave clean water. Ini mini came down from the nestbox area. I cleaned out ‘Tintins’ nestbox and made a good nest for the broodies. Then I put Black outside to eat and drink. Laid the 6 hatching eggs in the fresh nest and cleaned out the broodies nestbox too. Added DE, fresh straw and hay.

Took 2 eggs out to candle (inside the house the dark) and when I returned, Ini mini was sitting on the 4 eggs I moved.

I added the 2 candled eggs. They are completely dark except for a not very big air chamber.

Black joined Ini mini in the new nest. And I thought to give it a try to divide the two broodies. I can check every 30 minutes to see if they don’t fo anything stupud.

So I went inside to get 4 fake eggs. Put Black in her original place and gave her the 4 fake eggs. She accepted them immediately. And I gave her 1 more from Ini mini. Both have 5 eggs now in the 2 separate and clean nest-boxes.

They both seem very happy now. Each in their own nest with 5 eggs.

I'm not sure I understood right- you still had the incubator on ? So you have spare eggs to replace the possible dead one ?

Yes the incubator is still on. If the broodies stay put I wil change the fake eggs for the machine eggs.

Poor Tintin, he'll probably adjust quickly though!

He is big enough to conquer the garden. He is already bigger than my Dutch and had a thorough training from his momma’s.

Do you have any idea what happened, and is it possible that Pearl leaving Tintin caused some disturbance for the broodies ?

Perhaps. Or because Janice came in to roost in the small coop. Or both. I dont know for sure.

And for the sound you can try sound absorbing padding.

I just start to let him sleep in the tiny coop with the auto-door. He doesn’t crow jet.
Now he has enough ventilation. I made a gap with pieces of cork under the glass roof. The glass is covered with a piece of EPDM to block 95% of the light.

I think I wil make a real lid with hinges for easy opening (to put Tintin inside this cage every evening if he dares to roost with the girls).

And if he’s getting loud I have to figure out something for sure to get the noise down. My daughter has some matrial/left overs from their on-going renovation project that I can use for sound isolation. Gutex wood fiber and Isolena wool blanket.

Most difficult will be to block the light and keep good ventilation. I need only enough openings for one bantam chicken. And i read something about using pipes with an angle (upwards).

 

[BDutch]

The broodies are doing great in the 2 nestboxes whole day.

Around sunset Tintin thought he could sleep in his usual spot, so I took him out and put him in the tiny coop with the auto door and locked him up inside.
——-
When I went to check at 23.00 h , he was back in his usual nest-box , sleeping next to Ini mini. Pearl was sleeping in the nest box with Black.


The Chickcozy auto door seems to open after the sun sets, some time before its gets dark, and closes again a little later. This is the only logical explanation Tintin could have escaped the tiny coop. It happened before with Krasi when she was broody.

So I need to wait longer before I move Tintin to the tiny coop next time.

 

[BDutch]

More interventions today.
Tintin was disturbing the broodies. He wanted to (did) take a nap in a nest box with one of the broodies. He probably misses the care of his mommy Pearl. But the broodies got restless and I really don’t want him there. Certainly not next week with little chicks he might see as intruders.

I closed the opening to the extension. Ini mini and Black can sit without disturbances until some chicks hatch.

Tintin didn’t come home until it was almost getting dark. He tried very hard to get in his nestbox through the wire.
Poor Tintin. He was in the run when the auto pop door closed and sleeps in the run now. He was not interested to sleep in the tiny coop.

 

[fuzzi]

More interventions today.
Tintin was disturbing the broodies. He wanted to (did) take a nap in a nest box with one of the broodies. He probably misses the care of his mommy Pearl. But the broodies got restless and I really don’t want him there. Certainly not next week with little chicks he might see as intruders.

I closed the opening to the extension. Ini mini and Black can sit without disturbances until some chicks hatch.

Tintin didn’t come home until it was almost getting dark. He tried very hard to get in his nestbox through the wire.
Poor Tintin. He was in the run when the auto pop door closed and sleeps in the run now. He was not interested to sleep in the tiny coop.

It's hard growing up. Martha did a wonderful job with her five. Once they were about 6 weeks old she went from loving to tolerating, and finally rejecting. They looked so confused when she pecked them.

 

[BDutch]

It was difficult to get Tintin in the run earlier this evening We had a dinner party and I didnt want him outside on his own.

When we came back home I checked the chickens whereabouts. The two broodies are sitting together in a nest again. There are 4 semi-warm eggs in the other nest. I'm afraid I was too late. I did add them underneath both broodies. Probably max 4 chicks.

Tintin must be hiding and sleeping in the run somewhere. I couldn’t find where he was sleeping.

 

[ManueB]

It was difficult to get Tintin in the run earlier this evening We had a dinner party and I didnt want him outside on his own.

When we came back home I checked the chickens whereabouts. The two broodies are sitting together in a nest again. There are 4 semi-warm eggs in the other nest. I'm afraid I was too late. I did add them underneath both broodies. Probably max 4 chicks.

Tintin must be hiding and sleeping in the run somewhere. I couldn’t find where he was sleeping.

Oh sorry it's not going along as smoothly as we'd like . I hope you found Tintin this morning?

How many days left to the hatch ? Would it not be better at this stage to protect just the nest, and let him in the coop ?