Incubating?

[animalspooker]

Okay, Little Brown, my cochin hen is laying an egg about every day and a half to 2 days. Yesterday while I was working out in the yard on the greenhouse, I saw both of my roosters (a phoenix that happens to be my mortal enemy and a Black Breasted American Game Bantam) having their way with her...if you know what I mean.

I got to thinking. If she's being bred, then we could have ourselves some babies. It would be a great experience for my 7 year old daughter.

So how does it work. If she's laying an egg every 2 days, and I incubate the eggs, will they hatch in the sequence they were laid...every two days?

Also, will the phoenix and the cochin crossbreed? I also have an Easter Egger Hen. Will the phoenix be servicing her too? I guess there will be mutts, just as you have with canines?

As you can see....I need help.

 

[A roo or two]

Well most of us collect the eggs over a few days so you can set them all at once in the incubator, with the hopes that everyone hatches pretty close together. I collected eggs for 6 days to have enough to set.

I would check a couple to be sure they are fertile.

A roo will breed with any hen...heck sometimes they even try to breed another roo

 

[A roo or two]

oh, and yes they will be mutts, or barnyard mixes. But an EE is a mutt anyway I love EEs, own four myself, such pretty birds.

 

[animalspooker]

Now you done it! You opened a whole new can of worms for me!

1. How do I check if they're fertile?
2. How long can I keep one before they lose their ability to hatch or they go bad?
3. What do I do with them while waiting to get enough to incubate? Sure I don't put them in the fridge?
4. What kind of mutt will I get if a roo breeds another roo? I'm just kidding on #4!

 

[animalspooker]

Can anyone answer these questions above?

 

[red horse ranch]

Now you done it! You opened a whole new can of worms for me!

1. How do I check if they're fertile?
2. How long can I keep one before they lose their ability to hatch or they go bad?
3. What do I do with them while waiting to get enough to incubate? Sure I don't put them in the fridge?
4. What kind of mutt will I get if a roo breeds another roo? I'm just kidding on #4!

1. I don't check the eggs for fertility before incubating if I've seen the hen being bred.
2. Egss can be kept up to 10 days before incubating but hatchability is greatly reduced after 4 or 5 days.
3. They should be stored at temps around 55 to 60 degrees, not refrigerated. The eggs should be turned several times a day to prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell. This can be easily accomplished by storing them in a clean egg carton. Put a book under one end to tilt the eggs. Put the book under the other end 4 to 6 hours later to tilt them the other way.

4. You will get one very humiliated rooster on the bottom!

 

[BuckinRooster]

Hope it goes well. I am still trying to figure out how to get more chicks out of my batches. But it is an interesting process.

 

[aart]

Store the eggs big end up, they don't have to be 55-60...room temp will work but cooler is better.

You can learn about how a fertile egg yolk looks as you break them for breakfast in this thread.

Spend some time reading this forum to learn more about incubation.

 

[A roo or two]

Now you done it! You opened a whole new can of worms for me!

1. How do I check if they're fertile?
2. How long can I keep one before they lose their ability to hatch or they go bad?
3. What do I do with them while waiting to get enough to incubate? Sure I don't put them in the fridge?
4. What kind of mutt will I get if a roo breeds another roo? I'm just kidding on #4!

I just checked mine as I used them for breakfast

My oldest egg in my bator right now was set at 6 days old, and right on track with the ones that were laid the same day as being set. I too have heard after 10 days the fertility rate drops.
I stored my eggs in a carton on the kitchen counter big end up, in that time our house temp fluctuated between 68 and 74. I read you do not have to worry about rotating the eggs of you are setting them within a few days. To be honest, I actually forgot until day 4 of the oldest one sitting there and as above, it is doing just fine (only at day 9 though in incubation).
lol I agree you will have one very humiliated bottom roo, and probably a few laughing hens.