June Hatch a Long

[Wrightsx4]

Hello hello! I'm too lazy to read the previous posts, so what are you setting this round?

Salmon faverolles - 7 under a broody this time.

 

[Alaskan]

Hi everyone. 
Last Wednesday, after not checking on my chickens since Monday evening, I discovered that I had a broody hen sitting on 3 eggs.  I added another egg from another nest that was laid that day.  They are Colombian Wyandottes.  I am expecting them to hatch around June 11-12  One of the eggs laid by the broody hen is flat on one side, I'm not sure how that will affect things.  Another issue is there is a non-broody hen that has been going into the same nesting box at night, and I've found that some of the eggs end up not being covered.  I've found this when i go out to close things up at night.  I've tucked them under the broody hen and hope for the best. 
I have lost a few hens of a few different breeds recently and decided that maybe this is a good time to start over and add a new breed or two.  I started looking through the breed listings here, and the Swedish Flower hens caught my eye.  I looked online and found eggs being auctioned, a 90 minute drive away.  I was the only bidder.   I picked up 7 eggs on Saturday and put them in my home-made incubator, along with a 3 heritage RIR that I purchased from the same seller.   Projected hatch date: June 15. 
As the hatch date gets closer I may do some egg swapping between what is under the broody hen and what is in my 'bator.  I'm thinking of having her raise the whole brood of chicks if she can manage that.  It would be a maximum of 14 chicks, but I really don't think I'll have an 100% hatch rate. 

A broody hen can raise 14 chicks easy.

If you want the eggs she is sitting on to hatch, I would move her someplace where she won't be bothered.

Good luck!

 

[redhen689]

So you cant wash the eggs before incubatting?

It's better not to, but I bought washed eggs (being sold for eating, not hatching) from a local farmer once and had a successful hatch.

It's better not to wash the eggs but it's not the end of the world if you do. In certain circumstances, depending on the temperature of the egg and of the water, the bacteria on the outside of the egg will migrate through the shell during the washing process.

 

[hokankai]

Salmon faverolles - 7 under a broody this time.

Good luck! I was given a single Salmon Fav egg when I picked up my others and it hatched! Now I am in love and rooting for it being a female.

I originally set the local duck eggs under broodies. I candled them at day 7 at they ALL have crunch cracks on them! It looked like they were bearing down too low on them or something, and one hen had worn down her nest to the wood and was crunching them. Now I am down to 4 from 6 and had to coat the cracks with paraffin wax. I'm really hoping I get some ducklings out of these eggs though!

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

I candled mine and I have 8 out of the 25 that look good. I have one pen which has had consistently clear eggs, and they were all clear again from that pen.... then I had a few blood rings and quitters. I am hatching pullet eggs, so I really just hope to get a few from this bunch. I did go ahead and add 18 more, which will be due in 18 days now. Staggered hatch FTW!! LOL!

I would look at the roos in that pen for culling if your using these as breed pens. If the WHOLE pen is coming up infertile that would be the roos fault, not doing his job. Or lethal genes he's carrying. Prolly the 1st reaon. Or he's sterile. Either way I would suspect roo. Even if he doing his part his part might not be getting done correctly/successfully.

 

[redhen689]

A broody hen can raise 14 chicks easy.

If you want the eggs she is sitting on to hatch, I would move her someplace where she won't be bothered.

Good luck!

Thanks, I'm not sure I have a place to move her to, but I'm not all that concerned about the eggs she's on. If they hatch, great, if not, that's okay too. I may try to candle them tonight after dark. We'll see.

 

[el pollo rey]

So you cant wash the eggs before incubatting?

No

 

[Wrightsx4]

Good luck! I was given a single Salmon Fav egg when I picked up my others and it hatched! Now I am in love and rooting for it being a female. 

How old? They're easy to tell quite early. Remember my hen (Baby) I told you all about that was killed by a raccoon? She was a salmon faverolle. Her egg (#10) hatched but it's a boy. So of course he needs some pullets My BA went broody so I ordered some really nice SF eggs from a BYCer. Faverolles are such a wonderful breed - sweet personalities.

 

[Reurra]

Well, here I go, attempt #3. Attempt 1 im March gave me 8 chicks out of 20...bad odds, but some eggs were infertle, one became bacteria filled, a couple stopped growth around day 15, some drown because of too much albumen (poor quality laying hen) Attempt #2, 8 eggs, all rotten by day 10.

So 10 are in the Bator now. We will see what happens.

 

[hokankai]

It is just over 1 week old so a little early to tell. It is sooo sweet though! I love it.

Too bad Baby's baby (lol) ended up being a boy, but then again you are still able to get grandbabies from her once these eggs hatch!