Gave my broody eggs tonight...first time for both of us...anyone else start some today, 4-4-12?

[orumpoultry]

Eggs in the bator are doing good guys!

My broody got off her nest, hasn't gone back, so they're joining the others in the incubator.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Well after watching some of the other girls run her off the nest I asked around and some different people suggested that I put her in a crate in the coop. So today we tried that....she freaked out! She was not about to stay in there, and even though the eggs were in there, she just kept going back to that nest, so we put her back, with the eggs and I am just going to leave her alone. We did see another hen sitting on them while she was out in the yard getting a drink and eating a bit, so I guess they know more about it than we do!

• I was reading that as of tonight the hearts should be beating now, that is so cool to think about. Very fast progress! I hope I have seven heart beats in there with her!!! Fingers crossed.
  

 

[nurse_turtle]

That other girl on the nest may have just been laying her own egg.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

That other girl on the nest may have just been laying her own egg.

That is possible. Tonight when I went in to count them and put them to bed another old hen (one of my freeloading RIR's) was on the eggs and my broody was in another nesting box looking all sad. I moved them and as soon as I put the broody back on the eggs she nestled right back down on them. arrrgghhh. Why can't they just leave the poor girl alone!

 

[orumpoultry]

I'm going to candle tomorrow because my nephew will be here. I'm sure it's to early, I know it is, but it'll still be a good learning experience for him. He's also going to help me clean off my Grey's face, poor boy got in a cage fight with a loose roo. Don't know who started it but they were both worse for wear when I got home.

Here's to hoping all my eggs look promising tomorrow!

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

I'm going to candle tomorrow because my nephew will be here. I'm sure it's to early, I know it is, but it'll still be a good learning experience for him. He's also going to help me clean off my Grey's face, poor boy got in a cage fight with a loose roo. Don't know who started it but they were both worse for wear when I got home.

Here's to hoping all my eggs look promising tomorrow!

I was first thinking I would candle at 7,14, and 18 days. But then today when I was researching making a candler I kept seeing pictures of day 3. We might pull one tonight and try it just to see if we can see anything. I hope we can see something in there. Today I hand feed her some oats and when doing so I lifted her up a bit, she keeps them in such a nice little circle. I think it is just amazing.

I will keep my fingers crossed for your candling tomorrow!

 

[orumpoultry]

I did a few hatches where I candled daily, because I went while the hen was off the nest. I was able to pull bad eggs the day they went bad.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Well we tried last night, but the shells are brown and our light was just a flash light with a toilet paper tube on the end....Couldn't really see much at all. I am hoping it is because of the brown shell, poor light and only 36 hours of incubation. I will try again later this week and see if there is anything. I will just feel horrible for her if they are not viable. Guess I could try to get more from my neighbor.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend!

 

[orumpoultry]

Well Skylar and I candled eggs. Turkey eggs aren't far enough along to tell if there's any development, but I still have hope. I have one egg that I put a question mark on out of my SSG's, and one egg from my WC's I found had a crack in it when I candled it. So I tossed it to keep it from exploding.

Temps are holding a steady 99.5 at the tops of the eggs, and according to my internal thermometer ( which is down in an empty egg with some soap to match thickness ) internal temps are around 98.9, and the third thermometer ( at the bottom of the eggs ) is showing 97.2... So everything seems normal!

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

I am just over the moon with excitement. We candled tonight again and found life in 5/7! The two that we couldn't see anything in are dark brown eggs, so it is hard to tell if they are duds or if the shell is just too dark to see anything. It was sooo cool to see the little spider web of veins. In a couple we could see movement from the heart beat. It was awesome.