- Thread starter
- #71
Thank you all! I am a proud pappa.
I started this clutch with 12 eggs. One was broken during incubation (week two I think) and one had the tell-tale blood ring signifying a dead embryo when I candled at 7 days.
So I did lose two eggs of the initial clutch. However, I went into lockdown with 10 eggs and Dottie hatched them all out. I think that is an amazing feat in itself. I'm really proud of all her effort and dedication.
Many times throughout the day, I held the feeder and waterer for her so she could get some nourishment without leaving her peeps. She chowed down like I've never seen her before. She knows that it's time to build herself back up. I did pick her up once today and she's really light. I felt sooo bad for her. After she ate her crop was FAT! She's going to have a long road to recover what the broodiness took out of her. Her poor comb and wattles are just about the color of my hands. Yikes.
I'll still keep progress posted here on how the peeps manage. Through my own anecdotal experience, I've learned that my losses of peeps usually come between week one and week two so we're not out of the woods just yet. Some people don't count their chicks before they're hatched. I don't like to count them before they're out of the brooder
This was surely fun and I'd be happy to repeat this "experiment" if another hen goes broody. I'm also going to build a cabinet incubator to aid in my desire to selectively breed a fast growing meat bird that doesn't rely on Big Ag but I'm sure I'll incubate my laying flock eggs in there too. This is surely addicting and can't see myself waiting too terribly long before I hatch out some more birds. I also want to become a member of the BYC "Trader Joe's" hatching club. That thread is awesome!
Dan
I started this clutch with 12 eggs. One was broken during incubation (week two I think) and one had the tell-tale blood ring signifying a dead embryo when I candled at 7 days.
So I did lose two eggs of the initial clutch. However, I went into lockdown with 10 eggs and Dottie hatched them all out. I think that is an amazing feat in itself. I'm really proud of all her effort and dedication.
Many times throughout the day, I held the feeder and waterer for her so she could get some nourishment without leaving her peeps. She chowed down like I've never seen her before. She knows that it's time to build herself back up. I did pick her up once today and she's really light. I felt sooo bad for her. After she ate her crop was FAT! She's going to have a long road to recover what the broodiness took out of her. Her poor comb and wattles are just about the color of my hands. Yikes.
I'll still keep progress posted here on how the peeps manage. Through my own anecdotal experience, I've learned that my losses of peeps usually come between week one and week two so we're not out of the woods just yet. Some people don't count their chicks before they're hatched. I don't like to count them before they're out of the brooder
This was surely fun and I'd be happy to repeat this "experiment" if another hen goes broody. I'm also going to build a cabinet incubator to aid in my desire to selectively breed a fast growing meat bird that doesn't rely on Big Ag but I'm sure I'll incubate my laying flock eggs in there too. This is surely addicting and can't see myself waiting too terribly long before I hatch out some more birds. I also want to become a member of the BYC "Trader Joe's" hatching club. That thread is awesome!
Dan