Help me decide - break my broody or not?

[Ridgerunner]

Why don't you try sticking about four of those pullet eggs under her along with more Brahma eggs? You raise them for pets anyway, not for meat. When I did it, the pullet eggs (about 22 weeks) hatched fine. They were smaller than chicks from larger eggs but the hatch rate was similar. My problem was that some did not make it past the first 24 hours. Those that did were healthy and active, raised by a broody. I'm not sure if they will catch up in size with ones that come from larger eggs, but does that really matter to you? I suspect you will be out there changing diapers and bottle feeding them anyway so you can be on the lookout for problems better than I was. I just think you will increase your odds of having some success by trying different eggs.

I still think you just don't know what you are looking at when you candle.

Do you still have those from Mercy in the incubator? Have you tried candling them? You may have another option of just putting those under her if they are still active.

The ones that made it, with their birth Mama, not egg Mama.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Ridge, all your input is valuable to me. Thank you!

You have convinced me to try and add some pullet eggs. My Ivy, a turken, is laying some fairly good sized eggs, so I'll see how many of those I can collect up between now and say Sunday. Hopefully she'll lay at least twice.

By the way, do you know how hard it is to find itty bitty little bottle washers for chickie bottles?

Mercy eggs were dead.

Pretty gross to crack open, but DH has convinced me that if I am going to raise livestock, I have to get used to the gross parts.