June Hatch a Long

[el pollo rey]

I have an odd, drawn out question with regards to a broody.  I have 12 eggs in the incubator - 10 days old today.  I have a Minorca that will not stop being broody.  She was broody for two weeks in March, so I gave in and let her have eggs.  She hatched them (even as a staggered hatch - human error, I added 4 more 4 days in).  Even after they hatched she would leave the chicks to their own devices and try to sit on eggs in the raised nest boxes.  So I confined her and the surviving chick until it was 6 weeks.  She returned to the flock without any issues, but about a week later she started being broody again.  It's now been two weeks again, she's still broody, but thin as a rail.  I was thinking of transferring two eggs out of the incubator to her in hopes that another hatch might break her.  I'm less worried about the eggs than if she would survive another clutch.  If she loses the same proportional amount of weight, she will be transparent!  I don't want to put ice cubes under her, wet her belly with cold water multiple times a day, or dangle her in a wire cage like a pinata in the coop.  What are the odds that another hatch will stop her behavior vs. reinforce it?  I figure with 10 day old eggs, 11 days won't be too rough on her - especially if it might end this madness.

I have a similar issue with a bantam Silkie she will not quit I have a few cochin eggs in the bator set to hatch Friday I am going to give her one thurs night and let her move on with it and see if she breaks I have used Broodys over the years to hatch and have found some are well rounded at setting and being moms and others good at one thing or the other but not both I have never found a way to fix it I have just accepted the fact that I have a few girls who do the job well and when they turn on I let them do their thing and the others when they turn on I don't let them brood and put them in my broody buster cage for a few rounds till the urge passes I know it just don't seem fair not to let them brood but it's also not fair for the hatchlings to fend for them selves or be put into a brooder to be cared for by a light bulb some have it some don't hope this helps

 

[starlingsbaby]

welcome back star ,, how them may babys fairing in the brooder ?

they are great i will take a photo and post this evening.

 

[caitanni]

Can anyone tell me what is going on with these 2 eggs? All my other have veins...
Egg#1





Egg #2





The blob in egg 2 floats from end to end and I can see the air sack move

 

[TheCrazyChick]

just ask, as far as a styro goes the gqf 1588 hova is hard to beat its a dry hatchers dream set it and forget it i have seen hatch rates as good if not better than brinseas that cost 3 times as much. the brinsea Eco series are fine incubators with the addition of their humidity pump you have a really nice set up but its gonna set you back almost 600 bucks and for a table top incubator ? ahhh little to much for me to justify but people here have really good hatches with them for that kind of scratch the gqf digital sportsman is probably the best you can do for the money, i have had great hatches in my Colman coolerbator my son built in ffa class in school we had some 100% hatch rates with our own eggs and it was just a old metal cooler with two 40 watt bulbs and two snap disk thermostats wired in series i honestly believe knowing the process a egg needs to go through during incubation and hatching proper hygiene and method and the quality of the eggs at the time of setting are the true measure of success in hatch rates,, a better bator will do a better hands off job by taking care of all the variables the egg needs to go through during incubation but if all the other criteria are not followed hatch rates simply will not get any better,,,,,,just sayin

Thank you for the advice. As a relatively new hatcher I would admit to some user error, but i was able to hatch 10 chicks recently without much effort. Simply put, the last two hatches were simply scrambled upon arrival, so no amount of knowledge could have saved them. My goal this month is to only set local eggs or those eggs I pick up myself. Actually spent Memorial Day driving 4 hours to pick up eggs. If I decide to continue attaching after these eggs, I will most certainly look in to your suggestion of a 1588 hova. Thanks again.

 

[el pollo rey]

Sure hope it helps,. I won't advocate one product over another I can just say I use one and like it, it runs non stop for about six months a year and I just put them in and take them out it's Realy that simple I hatch in a different bator so it is that much more simple it's relatively cheap and I think the folks here that use um like um what ever you decide the main thing is to have fun and share your experience with others

Thank you for the advice. As a relatively new hatcher I would admit to some user error, but i was able to hatch 10 chicks recently without much effort. Simply put, the last two hatches were simply scrambled upon arrival, so no amount of knowledge could have saved them. My goal this month is to only set local eggs or those eggs I pick up myself. Actually spent Memorial Day driving 4 hours to pick up eggs. If I decide to continue attaching after these eggs, I will most certainly look in to your suggestion of a 1588 hova. Thanks again.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

Completely terrible weather last 2 days. Seriously hope it doesn't ruin my guinea nest. 1 Broody is stone cold determined and hate it if her nest got flooded. They talking 1-3 in of rain tonight.
Not to mention hoping power hold with everything in brooder/bators.

Anyone setting this weekend? Think I have decided to collect guinea/duck eggs for the next month or so and weekly add to bators. A couple experimant breeding prodjects to throw in along with them. Will throw some BSL, CochinXBuffs and what I call Red Prodject eggs in when my last set of guinea/duck are on D7. Working with the breeds I have as adults is getting interesting and I keep getting ideas I wanna try. Keeps my AWAY from the bators LOL.

What am I gonna do if I get decent hatches on duck/guineas? I have 1/2 dz duck and 2-1/2 dz guineas a week. Gotta look into the local farmers market in town. CL has mixed results but might be better with chicks/keets/ducklings rather than eggs. Otherwise I should never run low on eggs or meat

 

[el pollo rey]

Completely terrible weather last 2 days. Seriously hope it doesn't ruin my guinea nest. 1 Broody is stone cold determined and hate it if her nest got flooded. They talking 1-3 in of rain tonight.
 Not to mention hoping power hold with everything in brooder/bators.

 Anyone setting this weekend? Think I have decided to collect guinea/duck eggs for the next month or so and weekly add to bators. A couple experimant breeding prodjects to throw in along with them. Will throw some BSL, CochinXBuffs and what I call Red Prodject eggs in when my last set of guinea/duck are on D7. Working with the breeds I have as adults is getting interesting and I keep getting ideas I wanna try. Keeps my AWAY from the bators LOL.

What am I gonna do if I get decent hatches on duck/guineas? I have 1/2 dz duck and 2-1/2 dz guineas a week. Gotta look into the local farmers market in town. CL has mixed results but might be better with chicks/keets/ducklings rather than eggs. Otherwise I should never run low on eggs or meat

I just set 24 brahmas last night acre light buff and darks , just plugged my hatcher in and added water to bring it up to temp I have cochins moving to lock down in the AM set 7 but looks like only 4 will make the move I have 9 more from the same parent stock but they look like duds so I might have a break in between these and the brahmas we shall see I wish the best of luck up there with the weather buddy

 

[pichuris]

May's hatch is still a hatching. Today is day 21.

Already thinking of the 3 broodies I have. I'll be setting them beginning of June with Delaware eggs.

 

[hokankai]

What day? I would leave them for a couple more days. they look a little behind, but I don't see any blood rings yet.

Can anyone tell me what is going on with these 2 eggs? All my other have veins...
Egg#1





Egg #2





The blob in egg 2 floats from end to end and I can see the air sack move

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

I just set 24 brahmas last night acre light buff and darks , just plugged my hatcher in and added water to bring it up to temp I have cochins moving to lock down in the AM set 7 but looks like only 4 will make the move I have 9 more from the same parent stock but they look like duds so I might have a break in between these and the brahmas we shall see I wish the best of luck up there with the weather buddy

Thanks. At least the rain is waiting until AFTER the duck and guineas lay their daily quota for me. Thinking unless I really like what the chicks look like I am setting last bunch of chickens Sat for a while yet. Then just onto weekly guinea/ducks. Until they get smart or run out of eggs to lay.
My shipped eggs are developing but the air sacks are completely trashed. Hoping for a few to make it but not counting on them. Might have to line breed some male BR from my hens and 2 BSL cockerals I have now.
Thinking about trying make a 2x2x4ft cabinet style bator. I have the mats and some ideas but not sure if it will work out the way I want. Gonna try it though I am bored. LOL check back in later.