Short version: first timers (both me and the hen), 2yo Bielefelder hen, eight Aloha eggs, hatching around Apr. 17th.
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This is my first time hatching! Our beautiful two-year-old redhead Bielefelder, Felicity, is the broody hen. I was very happy to procure some Aloha eggs for her to sit on. I've wanted Aloha hens ever since I learned about them. Felicity is big and fluffy and easily covers the eight eggs.
The Eggs.
This photo was taken right before she tucked them all under her.
Aloha is a breed that is still being developed here in Arizona for our extreme desert climate. The breeders are doing a great job at improving the breed and they're also really nice people. Alohas are good layers but more importantly they can tolerate our high temperatures. They're also quite nice to look at:
Some examples of Aloha hens. Splashy!
Felicity is doing an excellent job sitting. She comes out once a day to dust bathe, stretch, groom, eat, and drink. I haven't candled the eggs since giving them to her, I'm just letting nature take its course. I do peek at them when she is out to make sure they look okay. I candled them when I picked them up and again before I gave them to her (we have terrible roads here and I wanted to make sure they survived the trip home okay). They all looked good. The breeder has four roosters so there's a good chance they're fertilized.
Felicity taking her daily stroll.
Felicity is the alpha of her flock but she is not aggressive and lets me check on her and give her a few pets. Sometimes she does the Cluck Cluck Cluck of Annoyance and then I leave her alone. She doesn't growl or peck or bite and seems very pleased with the whole arrangement. She's in a large nest box with two doorways and there's a fan on that side of the coop, so she gets plenty of fresh air to help keep her comfortable.
I have a mixed flock of twelve. My goal is sixteen and the local laws allow us to have up to twenty, so if we're fortunate enough to get eight pullets, I will keep them. We cannot have roosters but the breeder will take back any cockerels. If none of the eggs hatch, well, I'll be disappointed but I'm ready for that, too. We will just try again with the next hen who goes broody.
My roommate (who can build anything) is currently building a new, larger roosting area and an extension to the run. The plan is to let Felicity and her chicks remain in the coop. I have cameras to keep an eye on them 24/7. If there are any problems I also have a 32 sq. ft. predator-proof outdoor brooder ready for them and I can move her and the chicks into it, if need be.
I've had our current hens since they were chicks. I got out all the chick gear - it was buried deep in a storage tub, not having been used in two years - and cleaned it up: feeder, waterer (plus marbles), tunnels, hutches, and roosts. All ready to go.
We're expecting the eggs to hatch around April 17th.
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This is my first time hatching! Our beautiful two-year-old redhead Bielefelder, Felicity, is the broody hen. I was very happy to procure some Aloha eggs for her to sit on. I've wanted Aloha hens ever since I learned about them. Felicity is big and fluffy and easily covers the eight eggs.
The Eggs.
This photo was taken right before she tucked them all under her.
Aloha is a breed that is still being developed here in Arizona for our extreme desert climate. The breeders are doing a great job at improving the breed and they're also really nice people. Alohas are good layers but more importantly they can tolerate our high temperatures. They're also quite nice to look at:
Some examples of Aloha hens. Splashy!
Felicity is doing an excellent job sitting. She comes out once a day to dust bathe, stretch, groom, eat, and drink. I haven't candled the eggs since giving them to her, I'm just letting nature take its course. I do peek at them when she is out to make sure they look okay. I candled them when I picked them up and again before I gave them to her (we have terrible roads here and I wanted to make sure they survived the trip home okay). They all looked good. The breeder has four roosters so there's a good chance they're fertilized.
Felicity taking her daily stroll.
Felicity is the alpha of her flock but she is not aggressive and lets me check on her and give her a few pets. Sometimes she does the Cluck Cluck Cluck of Annoyance and then I leave her alone. She doesn't growl or peck or bite and seems very pleased with the whole arrangement. She's in a large nest box with two doorways and there's a fan on that side of the coop, so she gets plenty of fresh air to help keep her comfortable.
I have a mixed flock of twelve. My goal is sixteen and the local laws allow us to have up to twenty, so if we're fortunate enough to get eight pullets, I will keep them. We cannot have roosters but the breeder will take back any cockerels. If none of the eggs hatch, well, I'll be disappointed but I'm ready for that, too. We will just try again with the next hen who goes broody.
My roommate (who can build anything) is currently building a new, larger roosting area and an extension to the run. The plan is to let Felicity and her chicks remain in the coop. I have cameras to keep an eye on them 24/7. If there are any problems I also have a 32 sq. ft. predator-proof outdoor brooder ready for them and I can move her and the chicks into it, if need be.
I've had our current hens since they were chicks. I got out all the chick gear - it was buried deep in a storage tub, not having been used in two years - and cleaned it up: feeder, waterer (plus marbles), tunnels, hutches, and roosts. All ready to go.
We're expecting the eggs to hatch around April 17th.
