- Nov 16, 2012
- 2,749
- 158
- 226
It doesn't hurt your eggs to candle them being nervous and trying to hurry is worse than leisurely looking at them every few days. Chickens get up off the nest every once in awhile. So don't sweat it.
June Hatch-A-Long
- Thread starter Serenity Lane
- Start date
- May 2, 2014
- 49
- 7
- 26
That is good to know! I will try to relax a little......try is the key word! Lol!
- Sep 8, 2013
- 16
- 8
- 57
Well, HERE goes!
I started my little chicken adventure last spring, when my closest neighbor (about 1/4 mile away) brought me two (her quote!) "OLD, retired - don't lay anymore - UGLY, no, really, I mean very ugly" chickens to help me with my grasshopper plague. I was very thrilled and grateful to her and told her I didn't care if they were old, or if they never laid a single egg and I definitely didn't care if they were "ugly, no, really, I mean VERY ugly" as long as they ate grasshoppers . . . .
30 minutes later, here came my neighbor with two VERY ugly girls, one under each arm . . .
enter LUCY and ETHEL (I've since discovered that EVERY chicken owner seems to have at least one "Lucy"
)
Lucy and Ethel went to work immediately on the grasshopper population, by the end of just the first hour I thought their craws would pop!
3 days later I was standing at the big shade bush/tree where they roost at night (these girls are truly Free Range, no coop, no tractor, no enclosure) and noticed something between the roots at the base of the bush in the dirt . . . . two very large brown eggs!!!
I told the girls "thank you" and told my husband that it seems that the girls really liked the grasshoppers and had appropriately thanked us with what was probably the last eggs of their "old, retired - don't lay anymore" lives. We laughed, had the eggs for breakfast and reiterated that we didn't care if they never laid any more eggs at all, they were doing a terrific job on the grasshoppers!
Well! I'm betting you can guess this next part - - the two sweetest hens in the world ( they are inquisitive, come running to me every time I go outside, and they talk and SING to me all the time!) I went out the next afternoon and found 2 more eggs. . . . . and from then on, the two Naked Neck Turken hens averaged 12 - 14 eggs each week. They continued to lay 5 - 7 eggs each per week through the summer, autumn and only slightly tapered off through the winter, cutting back to about 4 - 6 eggs per week each.
Hubby and I really enjoyed the eggs, so early summer I purchased 3 RIR pullets and a RIR rooster. They joined the two girls and within the week there were usually 4 - 5 eggs in the nest each day. We lost one RIR girl to a stray dog. We went through the winter with the 2 Turkens and the 2 RIR girls and of course, the roo.
One of the Turken girls went broody early this spring, although I collect the eggs each day, she was determined to hatch the golf ball I leave in their nest. So I decided to see if there would be any reason let her sit. I came back to this site and looked up the pictures to see how to tell if eggs were fertile and LO and behold, our rooster MO had been doing his job!
Of course by this time Lucy was no longer interested in sitting on the golf ball (it had been over 3 weeks and hadn't hatched so I think she figured it out) but now I was interested in having her sit . . . so I came back here and asked for info on how to entice a hen to GO broody, after lots of good advice, but none of it working to get any of my girls to sit, I was almost despairing of getting eggs hatched "the natural" way, but knew I couldn't afford an incubator.
Sooooo . . . I started looking to find someone, ANYONE with a broody hen that they didn't want, and once again came to BYC to see what I could find . . . . went to your Re-homing section and found the nicest person who just happened to have a noisy EE (I'd been thinking of getting an EE for a bit of color too), she was too loud for their neighbors. I contacted them and during the course of figuring out how we could do the custody swap, he asked "You wouldn't by any chance be interested in a broody hen also, would you? We have another hen, besides the EE noisy girl who is broody and we think we want to re-home her to make room for another who will lay for us" I don't think he even finished his sentence before I'd said "YES! I'd LOVE to have her too!"
I immediately came back to this site to ask for advice on how to integrate these 2 new girls into my little flock of 5. Got some really great information (thank you again II for your great response!!)
Well, we met in Waco (TX) yesterday (Saturday, 17 May 2014), dad and daughter and the 2 new girls, one EE and a broody Partridge Rock . . . got them back home and so far the "girls" are doing really well!
I had prepared a very large wire crate (was a dog crate from when I showed my German Shepherds, ancient but would serve well for this since it is so big, it is 4 ft long X 34 inches wide X 3 ft tall)
I put cardboard down with heavy black plastic trash bags over the cardboard to sit the crate on and then I put 8 inches of sweet hay on the floor of the crate. It is sitting in the corner by the wall at my back sliding glass door. I have the drape pulled across the back half of the door so they will not be startled by anything from outside and a cloth over the back 1/3 of the top and rear of the crate so they will have that much privacy. I can also draw it around the rest of the crate to help them settle at night, although so far it doesn't seem like they need it. I also found a good use for one of my old rough wood walking canes, was a great diameter for a roost. Wired it into place and it works fine.
They immediately found their water and food and grit and spent almost an hour at them. After they settled a bit, I then placed into the back right corner of the crate a 3 sided white basket/box with more hay and the 7 eggs from my girls from the last couple of days. I was interested to see if June would sit on them. She surprised me.
You see, one of the members of BYC who responded to my post where I was asking for additional ideas on how to best integrate the new girls into my little flock of 5, noted that I should not expect the broody hen to still BE broody when she came to me because she would be so upset ("her whole world will be upside down for a while") and I should not plan on her sitting on any eggs anytime soon.
June surprised me by NOT sitting in the nest box with the eggs . . . instead she is sitting in "front" of the nest and has already pulled 3 of the 7 eggs out of the white nest basket and under her!
I'll wait to see if by in the morning she has appropriated the other 4, if she has I will be doubly thrilled, if she hasn't, I may just try to slip them out of the nest and over to the ones she has claimed. Either way, she seems to have NOT been so upset by the move. Of course, she may decide not to continue to sit on them, but for now, she seems really contented.
[edit - UPDATE - Sunday 5/18/2014 she pulled the rest of the 7 eggs under her last night. Earlier today, Sunday, when June (the broody) left "her" eggs to eat and drink, the EE scooted over and sat on the eggs, I thought they might be "tag teaming" the eggs, but when June had finished her snack and stretch (about 20 minutes) she skooched her friend off the nest and was right back on it. I checked under her later and sure enough there was a very distinctive blue egg in the midst of the 7 brown ones of my Turkens and RIR's, so I pulled the blue one out and I placed 2 more from my Turkens laid this morning and within about 30 seconds she had snagged both of them and seemed very pleased with herself, she sang and clucked a bit! So now she has 9 brown eggs from my Turkens and Rhode Island Red. I won't add any more, we'll see how she does with 9.]
Here is June, the Partridge Rock, nestled down in front of the now empty white plastic basket nest, looking quite pleased with herself on HER 9 eggs . . .
My computer is in the same room as the crate and actually only a few feet away, so I talked to them all evening while they were getting their bearings to their new surroundings. They did became a bit agitated when my husbands cats came to see what all the fuss was about . . . Needless to say the girls were very loudly complaining about the rude cats and let me know about it. I talked to them for a few minutes and when that didn't seem to be settling them down I just sat at my computer and sang to them. . . . . to my surprise they settled right back down and seemed to sing back
.
So, June is nestled into her nest with 3 eggs under her, Olive is roosting on one of my old rough wooden walking canes I have tightly wired across the middle of the crate about 8 inches up, I've pulled the cloth over about 2/3rds of crate and they are quiet. I'm thinking I may keep them in the house for the next several days, then when I decide June is serious about sitting her nest, I could take the entire crate out to the barn and place it up on the half loft between a couple of the bales of hay. That way I can leave them enclosed in the crate but they will be out in the barn. They will have the security of being 4 1/2 feet off the ground, they will have their own food and water, their own roost and after a few days or so I can open the front gate of the crate and they can go in and out at will and hopefully will consider that their new "coop" and return to it at night.
Anyway that is the plan now, it may change, but that will depend on the girls. I want them to feel really comfy before any more changes.
But for the time being, I'm able to sit at my computer and keep and eye on them
or push back and just be entertained by their conversation
(here's hoping we have some of these in a few weeks!) IF I start counting the 21 days from the first day that would be Saturday, 17 May 2014, right? So that by Saturday, 7 June 2014 I should be seeing some pips yes?
OMGoodness!! I just realized - - I have HOUSE CHICKENS!!!!
HOW did it get to this??
I started my little chicken adventure last spring, when my closest neighbor (about 1/4 mile away) brought me two (her quote!) "OLD, retired - don't lay anymore - UGLY, no, really, I mean very ugly" chickens to help me with my grasshopper plague. I was very thrilled and grateful to her and told her I didn't care if they were old, or if they never laid a single egg and I definitely didn't care if they were "ugly, no, really, I mean VERY ugly" as long as they ate grasshoppers . . . .
30 minutes later, here came my neighbor with two VERY ugly girls, one under each arm . . .
enter LUCY and ETHEL (I've since discovered that EVERY chicken owner seems to have at least one "Lucy"
)Lucy and Ethel went to work immediately on the grasshopper population, by the end of just the first hour I thought their craws would pop!
3 days later I was standing at the big shade bush/tree where they roost at night (these girls are truly Free Range, no coop, no tractor, no enclosure) and noticed something between the roots at the base of the bush in the dirt . . . . two very large brown eggs!!!
I told the girls "thank you" and told my husband that it seems that the girls really liked the grasshoppers and had appropriately thanked us with what was probably the last eggs of their "old, retired - don't lay anymore" lives. We laughed, had the eggs for breakfast and reiterated that we didn't care if they never laid any more eggs at all, they were doing a terrific job on the grasshoppers!
Well! I'm betting you can guess this next part - - the two sweetest hens in the world ( they are inquisitive, come running to me every time I go outside, and they talk and SING to me all the time!) I went out the next afternoon and found 2 more eggs. . . . . and from then on, the two Naked Neck Turken hens averaged 12 - 14 eggs each week. They continued to lay 5 - 7 eggs each per week through the summer, autumn and only slightly tapered off through the winter, cutting back to about 4 - 6 eggs per week each.
Hubby and I really enjoyed the eggs, so early summer I purchased 3 RIR pullets and a RIR rooster. They joined the two girls and within the week there were usually 4 - 5 eggs in the nest each day. We lost one RIR girl to a stray dog. We went through the winter with the 2 Turkens and the 2 RIR girls and of course, the roo.
One of the Turken girls went broody early this spring, although I collect the eggs each day, she was determined to hatch the golf ball I leave in their nest. So I decided to see if there would be any reason let her sit. I came back to this site and looked up the pictures to see how to tell if eggs were fertile and LO and behold, our rooster MO had been doing his job!
Of course by this time Lucy was no longer interested in sitting on the golf ball (it had been over 3 weeks and hadn't hatched so I think she figured it out) but now I was interested in having her sit . . . so I came back here and asked for info on how to entice a hen to GO broody, after lots of good advice, but none of it working to get any of my girls to sit, I was almost despairing of getting eggs hatched "the natural" way, but knew I couldn't afford an incubator.
Sooooo . . . I started looking to find someone, ANYONE with a broody hen that they didn't want, and once again came to BYC to see what I could find . . . . went to your Re-homing section and found the nicest person who just happened to have a noisy EE (I'd been thinking of getting an EE for a bit of color too), she was too loud for their neighbors. I contacted them and during the course of figuring out how we could do the custody swap, he asked "You wouldn't by any chance be interested in a broody hen also, would you? We have another hen, besides the EE noisy girl who is broody and we think we want to re-home her to make room for another who will lay for us" I don't think he even finished his sentence before I'd said "YES! I'd LOVE to have her too!"
I immediately came back to this site to ask for advice on how to integrate these 2 new girls into my little flock of 5. Got some really great information (thank you again II for your great response!!)
Well, we met in Waco (TX) yesterday (Saturday, 17 May 2014), dad and daughter and the 2 new girls, one EE and a broody Partridge Rock . . . got them back home and so far the "girls" are doing really well!
I had prepared a very large wire crate (was a dog crate from when I showed my German Shepherds, ancient but would serve well for this since it is so big, it is 4 ft long X 34 inches wide X 3 ft tall)
I put cardboard down with heavy black plastic trash bags over the cardboard to sit the crate on and then I put 8 inches of sweet hay on the floor of the crate. It is sitting in the corner by the wall at my back sliding glass door. I have the drape pulled across the back half of the door so they will not be startled by anything from outside and a cloth over the back 1/3 of the top and rear of the crate so they will have that much privacy. I can also draw it around the rest of the crate to help them settle at night, although so far it doesn't seem like they need it. I also found a good use for one of my old rough wood walking canes, was a great diameter for a roost. Wired it into place and it works fine.
They immediately found their water and food and grit and spent almost an hour at them. After they settled a bit, I then placed into the back right corner of the crate a 3 sided white basket/box with more hay and the 7 eggs from my girls from the last couple of days. I was interested to see if June would sit on them. She surprised me.
You see, one of the members of BYC who responded to my post where I was asking for additional ideas on how to best integrate the new girls into my little flock of 5, noted that I should not expect the broody hen to still BE broody when she came to me because she would be so upset ("her whole world will be upside down for a while") and I should not plan on her sitting on any eggs anytime soon.
June surprised me by NOT sitting in the nest box with the eggs . . . instead she is sitting in "front" of the nest and has already pulled 3 of the 7 eggs out of the white nest basket and under her!
I'll wait to see if by in the morning she has appropriated the other 4, if she has I will be doubly thrilled, if she hasn't, I may just try to slip them out of the nest and over to the ones she has claimed. Either way, she seems to have NOT been so upset by the move. Of course, she may decide not to continue to sit on them, but for now, she seems really contented.
[edit - UPDATE - Sunday 5/18/2014 she pulled the rest of the 7 eggs under her last night. Earlier today, Sunday, when June (the broody) left "her" eggs to eat and drink, the EE scooted over and sat on the eggs, I thought they might be "tag teaming" the eggs, but when June had finished her snack and stretch (about 20 minutes) she skooched her friend off the nest and was right back on it. I checked under her later and sure enough there was a very distinctive blue egg in the midst of the 7 brown ones of my Turkens and RIR's, so I pulled the blue one out and I placed 2 more from my Turkens laid this morning and within about 30 seconds she had snagged both of them and seemed very pleased with herself, she sang and clucked a bit! So now she has 9 brown eggs from my Turkens and Rhode Island Red. I won't add any more, we'll see how she does with 9.]
Here is June, the Partridge Rock, nestled down in front of the now empty white plastic basket nest, looking quite pleased with herself on HER 9 eggs . . .
My computer is in the same room as the crate and actually only a few feet away, so I talked to them all evening while they were getting their bearings to their new surroundings. They did became a bit agitated when my husbands cats came to see what all the fuss was about . . . Needless to say the girls were very loudly complaining about the rude cats and let me know about it. I talked to them for a few minutes and when that didn't seem to be settling them down I just sat at my computer and sang to them. . . . . to my surprise they settled right back down and seemed to sing back
So, June is nestled into her nest with 3 eggs under her, Olive is roosting on one of my old rough wooden walking canes I have tightly wired across the middle of the crate about 8 inches up, I've pulled the cloth over about 2/3rds of crate and they are quiet. I'm thinking I may keep them in the house for the next several days, then when I decide June is serious about sitting her nest, I could take the entire crate out to the barn and place it up on the half loft between a couple of the bales of hay. That way I can leave them enclosed in the crate but they will be out in the barn. They will have the security of being 4 1/2 feet off the ground, they will have their own food and water, their own roost and after a few days or so I can open the front gate of the crate and they can go in and out at will and hopefully will consider that their new "coop" and return to it at night.
Anyway that is the plan now, it may change, but that will depend on the girls. I want them to feel really comfy before any more changes.
But for the time being, I'm able to sit at my computer and keep and eye on them
OMGoodness!! I just realized - - I have HOUSE CHICKENS!!!!
- Sep 8, 2013
- 16
- 8
- 57
SOOOO happy for you gonzochick!!
- May 2, 2014
- 49
- 7
- 26
Omg yes!! Can totally see this happening! I didn't "come out" to my extended family that I was trying to hatch chickens because I just knew they would think I was nuts. The first thing my dad said was "ooo after those hatch we will have to hatch some quails and a few different kinds of chickens and let them run my land....etc etc..." then my sister said "ooooo now I don't feel wierd about wanting a mini donkey....and goats, we need goats". I am already researching other breeds to hatch... so yeah. That is gonna be me and I am totally ok with it! PS. My husband was very anti-chicken when the incubator showed up....now he keeps as close tabs on the temp and humidity as I do! Lol! It is contagious!
Just did a candle on 6-1 Rouen eggs and the chicken just set yesterday are too soon to tell.
At minimum 6/8 Rouen eggs have good live development. 2 others are questionable, but will wait on them to pull anything. These are the last eggs I set from my duck. I wasn't sure they would be fertile still but are doing great. Duck still laying daily (Nightly 11pm or there about) in coop. Just have to pull some chicken eggs out every day. Thinking let her set a clutch if she will. Fertility will be very questionable but she has done her job and then some. Have 7/8 hatch and 8/8 so far due next week. And another possible 8/8 (2 iffy) so 20+ possible babies are more than I hoped for. Gotta look for a post when I lost my drake.
Good luck all due to be chick-raisers.
Just found my post. It is between 3 1/2-4 weeks since drake was with duck so Its a low chance but she may be still fertile. Will let things be and see if she'll sit. Almost afraid to candle her and cause a nest to be abandoned. A month or so if she fails a setting I will introduce her to her young, and the new additions purchased for gen pool diversity. Will have to work on housing this and next week prior to the introduction since have all kids out of school for then. After that though I am back to me doing everything, and the 2 & 3 year olds all day. Not to mention the 9th will be the latest next baby (A human 1) due.
At minimum 6/8 Rouen eggs have good live development. 2 others are questionable, but will wait on them to pull anything. These are the last eggs I set from my duck. I wasn't sure they would be fertile still but are doing great. Duck still laying daily (Nightly 11pm or there about) in coop. Just have to pull some chicken eggs out every day. Thinking let her set a clutch if she will. Fertility will be very questionable but she has done her job and then some. Have 7/8 hatch and 8/8 so far due next week. And another possible 8/8 (2 iffy) so 20+ possible babies are more than I hoped for. Gotta look for a post when I lost my drake.
Good luck all due to be chick-raisers.
Just found my post. It is between 3 1/2-4 weeks since drake was with duck so Its a low chance but she may be still fertile. Will let things be and see if she'll sit. Almost afraid to candle her and cause a nest to be abandoned. A month or so if she fails a setting I will introduce her to her young, and the new additions purchased for gen pool diversity. Will have to work on housing this and next week prior to the introduction since have all kids out of school for then. After that though I am back to me doing everything, and the 2 & 3 year olds all day. Not to mention the 9th will be the latest next baby (A human 1) due.
Last edited:
Can I join? I have 24 in the incubator that I set as a Mother's Day gift to me! So I have a 6/1 hatch date as well. This is our first time hatching so we are excited and nervous allay once. Lol!
I am a victim of chicken math! We have 14 girls and one roo. Daddy is an EE. We set our own eggs so we will have a barnyard mutt mix. 12 eggs are EE and the other 12 are some BO, some CM and some Australorps (all crossed with EE).
We did our first candle tonight fully expecting to toss some infertile ones. But no, every single one had good veining and three of them we could see movement!!! So awesome! Can't wait to see if they all make it! Fingers crossed!
I am a victim of chicken math! We have 14 girls and one roo. Daddy is an EE. We set our own eggs so we will have a barnyard mutt mix. 12 eggs are EE and the other 12 are some BO, some CM and some Australorps (all crossed with EE).
We did our first candle tonight fully expecting to toss some infertile ones. But no, every single one had good veining and three of them we could see movement!!! So awesome! Can't wait to see if they all make it! Fingers crossed!
Welcome and good hatching for us all.
- Thread starter
- #69
Serenity Lane
Songster
Lol, that's what happened to me last time I hatched.. I set 30+ eggs figuring that some wouldn't make it. Well, they ALL hatched! So, yea, this time I set 48 eggs.. Guess I haven't learned my lesson yet. This hatch was not planned so the eggs could've been up to a week old, so I'm sure that doesn't help. I actually hadn't run my incubator since last August but I put the eggs in, plugged it in and it's been keeping perfect temperature for the past week. I was happy not to have to make any adjustments! I have a homemade incubator that I love! I can't afford to spend that much money so this was my less expensive option. It helps that my fiancé is an electrician. He made it for me last summer. I have to admit, I've become a lazy hatcher.. I add water about once a week and humidity stays around 35-40%. Instead of turning multiple times a day I've been tilting the entire incubator by putting something under one side of it, then putting it under the other side. I really turn them every night but I don't have the time turn 40 eggs that often.
Anyway, welcome and good luck
Is this a baby chicken??? I checked this morning & this being my first time, I am not exactly sure what I'm looking at.
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