How to keep track of chicken progeny in incubator?

[fistfullofnails]

I've now gotten my first incubator. It's a Janoel 12. I want to hatch eggs from different mothers in one batch. Being as I do not know a lot about what color different breeds are as chicks on top of some of the mothers being crosses anyways, is there a way I can keep track of which chick came from which mother after hatching? I can foresee that if I'm not right there on top of it during the hatching, how I would lose track of this.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I would take pictures and later on band them with Red being from this hen and yellow for that one, etc. Also mark the eggs from the differnt hens

 

[lazy gardener]

How many different hens, breeds? What is your rooster?

And a follow up question to you. In the long term scheme of things, how much does it really matter.... really? If you can id the eggs from your favorite and best layers, then set those eggs, and only those eggs. Then, as the chicks mature, keep the best of the best, and sell the rest.

Otherwise, not being familiar with your incubator model: perhaps this might work: Is it possible for you to put some sort of dividers in the bator when you go into lock down? Either put eggs from each hen into a specific basket, or put up a divider and divide the eggs that way. Some folks have put the eggs in net bags (I think, like a laundry bag) to divide them. But, IMO that creates a whole new set of problems and risks to the chicks. They have a hard enough time exiting the egg, without being subjected to a "Houdini" style of bondage.

 

[fistfullofnails]

How many different hens, breeds? What is your rooster?

And a follow up question to you. In the long term scheme of things, how much does it really matter.... really? If you can id the eggs from your favorite and best layers, then set those eggs, and only those eggs. Then, as the chicks mature, keep the best of the best, and sell the rest.

Otherwise, not being familiar with your incubator model: perhaps this might work: Is it possible for you to put some sort of dividers in the bator when you go into lock down? Either put eggs from each hen into a specific basket, or put up a divider and divide the eggs that way. Some folks have put the eggs in net bags (I think, like a laundry bag) to divide them. But, IMO that creates a whole new set of problems and risks to the chicks. They have a hard enough time exiting the egg, without being subjected to a "Houdini" style of bondage.

Four different hens. Orpington, Leghorn, Maran, and Star. Rooster is part RIR
I'm getting into the genetics side of this stuff, so it does matter to me. There are dividers for the incubator. I've never hatched my own, so I don't know how much chicks can move around inside the incubator once hatched.

 

[lazy gardener]

They can move quite a lot. I wish you the best with this. Is the Maran a cuckoo pattern? You might want to look at the "sex linked information" thread for when you make choices if you buy chicks in the future. You should have a nice mix of chicks from that selection of hens.

 

[fistfullofnails]

They can move quite a lot. I wish you the best with this. Is the Maran a cuckoo pattern? You might want to look at the "sex linked information" thread for when you make choices if you buy chicks in the future. You should have a nice mix of chicks from that selection of hens.

She is a cuckoo. Ironically, she went broody today as well.

 

[lazy gardener]

Give her 3 days and nights on the nest before you commit eggs to her... if that's the plan. If not, the sooner you break her, the better. Or are you planning to give her eggs you are now incubating?

Depending on what else the roo has in his background, he'll make some nice BSL babies with that cuckoo Maran!

 

[BlackHackle]

I've now gotten my first incubator. It's a Janoel 12. I want to hatch eggs from different mothers in one batch. Being as I do not know a lot about what color different breeds are as chicks on top of some of the mothers being crosses anyways, is there a way I can keep track of which chick came from which mother after hatching? I can foresee that if I'm not right there on top of it during the hatching, how I would lose track of this.

What breeders do is they hatch their chicks in wire cages placed in the incubator. The chicks of the same hen will then hatch and stay all together. To identify them, each egg is marked out of the nest box and the mothers leg band number is clipped onto the cage

 

[Mosey2003]

Well, assuming you already can tell which egg comes from which hen, it's pretty simple. Mark them with a pencil as you collect, then put them with their own kind in the dividers when they go to lockdown. Then either band them with different colors (orthodontic bands work well for the first week, then you can use bigger bands) or toe punch them.

If you can't tell which eggs are from which hens, the point is moot.

 

[fistfullofnails]

What breeders do is they hatch their chicks in wire cages placed in the incubator. The chicks of the same hen will then hatch and stay all together. To identify them, each egg is marked out of the nest box and the mothers leg band number is clipped onto the cage

I guess that's where I screwed up. Putting eggs from different hens into the same incubator. Lesson learned.