Breeding question? please help.

[chooketychook]

Hiya so after a little research ive realises breeding is not going to be as easy as I thought I was wondering if you could answer some questions to help me out.

How long do you leave hens in a breeding pen to have best chance of fertilised eggs?

How long will eggs be fertile after you have taken the hens out of the pen.

I read eggs can be fertile for a month or longer if so do you just keep adding the eggs to the incubator over the whole month which means you could have a egg in the bator aged 17days old then add a new egg of a day old? Or do you just collect eggs to a certain number say 10 incubate them and disguard the other fertile eggs for the remainder of the month? Or do you keep 2 seperate incubators?.

Id appreciate any help,many thanks.

 

[chooketychook]

Anyone? pls?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had a male rooster on my hens, put day one eggs in bator, nothing, day 2 eggs in bator were fertile, I kept him on the hens for one week. then gave him back. I have many eggs in my bator now. hens can store sperm for up to 3 weeks.

 

[chooketychook]

I had a male rooster on my hens, put day one eggs in bator, nothing, day 2 eggs in bator were fertile, I kept him on the hens for one week. then gave him back. I have many eggs in my bator now. hens can store sperm for up to 3 weeks.

Thank you so did you collect the eggs over the three week and add them to the bator? Can hatching eggs stay at the same temp as new eggs?

 

[gimmie birdies]

Well I gave back the roo about a week ago. I had 4 eggs that were fertile from the first experiment, and I gave them to my broody. I stored eggs until last sunday, then put my large eggs in the bator. on Monday I put my small eggs in the bator since they hatch sooner. just yesterday I had the last of my chicks hatch from a diff batch, in my small cardboard bator, so I transfered the little eggs to the small bator 10 eggs, and left the big eggs in my wood bator


the days are a little staggered because i have been adding to the bator since sun. and quit, tue, or wed. I am not sure. eventhough I have more room now, I am not going to add anymore. I have to hand turn and the more you open the box and dink around the less chance you have of a good hatch.

 

[chooketychook]

Ahh ok thankyou very much for the help,im guessing ill need 2 incubators or pray for a broodh hen,I wish you the best with your hatch hun xx

 

[Fancychooklady]

I collect the eggs over 10 days , store them pointy end down in a carton below 16 c . Once I have all the eggs together I set them down in the incubator . I find that staggered hatches are a little risky. You don't want to be opening the bator once you reach day 18 ( lockdown ) as you will upset the humidity levels and so adversely affect your hatch rate.

 

[nellynelly]

why would you discard the extra fertile eggs? you can eat them.

let me start by saying i have never used an incubator. but i think you would want to load all the eggs at the same time. a staggered hatch would be difficult.

 

[gimmie birdies]

mine will be fine they are still pretty close age wise and I dry hatch been there done that.I was stating how I do it, not asking how to.

 

[chooketychook]

Thanks gimmie birdie for teaching me your way I have a idea of how to manage now hun,and yes nellynelly
Thats what I was asking the other posters gave me a good indication,I got it ,And I dont want to eat fertile eggs (personal preferance)I will feed them back to the chickens and eat the unfertiles ones there free I can afford to be fussy!