Broody update on "Beautiful" the LF Barred Rock in Maine...hatch date should be 17th/18th May. I candled six eggs two nights ago (day 8). I saw definite veining in the bantam eggs, but not so sure about the LF eggs. I left all of the eggs there. She's on a baker's dozen mix of banty & LF Barred Rocks as of today.
Last week, she stepped on & broke one of the bantam eggs, and I'm glad I was there when it happened because she REALLY wanted to eat it. Cleaning up was a little dramatic - trying to keep her off of the nest while I cleaned the egg gook off of the other eggs and out of the shavings in the nest. And a day or so after that, I found a bantam egg in the nest with a small indention in the shell, but not through the membrane. It looked like it was a compression dent, and not a peck dent. I removed the egg, and not having an incubator, I sacrificed it. I cracked it open to have a look, and saw that it was well veined. Sad, but...
"Beautiful" spends ??? time off of the nest. I come home in the afternoon to find her plumped up on the shavings, in the corner, on the floor of the coop. Her eggs are cool to the touch. She usually hops back on the nest when I come in to check on her, but later, I can hear her in the coop, scratching around on the floor. I have been a little tortured in thinking she's not keeping the eggs warm enough. But - reminder to self: "Let go of the outcome!" I've never before candled, but thanks to the excellent photos posted on BYC, and from knowledgeable friends' advice on "how to," I feel like what I saw the other night was at least some proof that the eggs are developing. What remains to be seen is if this will actually occur:
She's eating her crumbles/ pellets/ scratch, and drinking well.
Hoping everyone else is doing well with their broodies - ducks & chickens, alike!!!
Last week, she stepped on & broke one of the bantam eggs, and I'm glad I was there when it happened because she REALLY wanted to eat it. Cleaning up was a little dramatic - trying to keep her off of the nest while I cleaned the egg gook off of the other eggs and out of the shavings in the nest. And a day or so after that, I found a bantam egg in the nest with a small indention in the shell, but not through the membrane. It looked like it was a compression dent, and not a peck dent. I removed the egg, and not having an incubator, I sacrificed it. I cracked it open to have a look, and saw that it was well veined. Sad, but...
"Beautiful" spends ??? time off of the nest. I come home in the afternoon to find her plumped up on the shavings, in the corner, on the floor of the coop. Her eggs are cool to the touch. She usually hops back on the nest when I come in to check on her, but later, I can hear her in the coop, scratching around on the floor. I have been a little tortured in thinking she's not keeping the eggs warm enough. But - reminder to self: "Let go of the outcome!" I've never before candled, but thanks to the excellent photos posted on BYC, and from knowledgeable friends' advice on "how to," I feel like what I saw the other night was at least some proof that the eggs are developing. What remains to be seen is if this will actually occur:
She's eating her crumbles/ pellets/ scratch, and drinking well.
Hoping everyone else is doing well with their broodies - ducks & chickens, alike!!!
