fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[fuzzi]

Martha had me worried this afternoon. She was out with the flock when I went to check on them after work. She ate some grapes, pecked some feed, got a drink. The three eggs were in the nest box, but cold.

But when I checked again, after dark, she was back in the box...

 

[fuzzi]

Two weeks ago I put hard-boiled eggs in a jar of brine leftover from pickled beets. Today I tried them.

YUMMY!

 

[fuzzi]

Thinking about doing a chicken tunnel later this year.

I like how this fellow created a relatively secure chunnel with just a roll of fencing:

 

[fuzzi]

Martha was brooding in the left hand box yesterday.

Today she was sitting on eggs in the middle box!


I moved the three marked eggs underneath her.

Are the eggs ruined, is it too late?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hard to know if it's too late.
I would think a lot depends on how long she was off the eggs and what the ambient temperature is.

I'd give it another few days and then candle to see if there's any development.

 

[fuzzi]

Martha's Broody Timeline
3/16 - Sleeps in nesting box on faux egg
3/17 - Sleeps in nesting box on faux egg
3/18 - Eggs added in afternoon (3)
3/19 - Off the eggs for ? (eggs cold, 60-70F)
3/20 - Off eggs, switched box when? (eggs cold, 60-70F)
3/21 - Settled in, not getting off nest
3/22 - Added two more eggs laid today
3/23 - About 7pm Martha was in right-hand box, but eggs in middle weren't cold. There was a new egg in the middle nest. Martha came out to eat, drink. Appeared to be thinking about roosting. I brought her over to the middle box and put her head inside, she went in and settled on the eggs. I removed the faux eggs from the other boxes.
3/24 - Martha's still on the eggs, one new one which slipped and cracked.

 

[fuzzi]

Today is day 6 of the original 3 eggs.

I'm extremely frustrated. I was advised by a couple members here to candle. I tried using an LED flashlight, couldn't see anything. A paper towel roll was too big for the bantam eggs, so I made a candler from an ice cream container. I took the three original eggs with me into the shed and used an LED headlamp underneath. One of them looked as if it were dark on the long side, one had white spots, and the third was mostly dark with a definite air pocket on one end. I didn't see anything like veins, but I haven't candled before, might not be doing it correctly.

My candler:

This photo I found looks like the egg that's dark with an air pocket:

Are they dead?

I'm wondering if I should just let Martha keep the two from a couple days ago.

 

[fuzzi]

We had rain all day yesterday, so I tossed a couple flakes of straw around the run, including some under the A-frame roost. Someone liked it...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I find brown eggs really hard to candle.

Could be I'm imagining them, but I think I see veins in that egg.

I usually only candle 2-3 times. Usually around day 7, then perhaps around day 14-15, then again at 18 or so. I just usually pull anything that is totally obvious that looks gross or non viable or clear eggs(no development). The rest I leave and let them go to day 23 or so. This is when I use the incubator.

For broody hatching, I usually do the same. Sometimes maybe 4 times if there's quite a few clears or questionable ones.

I'm for sure not very good at candling. Especially Quail eggs I can't see a thing so don't even try! I set those and just wait for 17-19 days to see how many hatch It's a SURPRISE every time, teeeny babies.

This blog/website is usually what I read/look at every time I hatch. She's got some examples and photos of the different days/stages and I *think* video too if you dig around. You have to scroll a bit, but the info seems to be pretty solid and I've found it helpful.

https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/incubating-chicken-eggs.html

 

[fuzzi]

I find brown eggs really hard to candle.

Could be I'm imagining them, but I think I see veins in that egg.

I usually only candle 2-3 times. Usually around day 7, then perhaps around day 14-15, then again at 18 or so. I just usually pull anything that is totally obvious that looks gross or non viable or clear eggs(no development). The rest I leave and let them go to day 23 or so. This is when I use the incubator.

For broody hatching, I usually do the same. Sometimes maybe 4 times if there's quite a few clears or questionable ones.

I'm for sure not very good at candling. Especially Quail eggs I can't see a thing so don't even try! I set those and just wait for 17-19 days to see how many hatch It's a SURPRISE every time, teeeny babies.

This blog/website is usually what I read/look at every time I hatch. She's got some examples and photos of the different days/stages and I *think* video too if you dig around. You have to scroll a bit, but the info seems to be pretty solid and I've found it helpful.

https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/incubating-chicken-eggs.html

I appreciate your information and website.

The photos I posted are NOT of my eggs, just some that looked like my eggs.

I have a bad cataract in one eye, a replacement lens in the other, so I have a hard time focusing on near objects.

Martha seems committed, but just gives me a small peck when I reach under her.