May 2023 Hatch-a-long

[Kwoka]

Thanks. No, there wouldn't be anything like that here and anyway, I'm careful about keeping a closed flock so I won't bring in live birds, even chicks.

I've also heard that before about them having to be less than 3 days old but I've also heard of people giving much older chicks to broody hens, although that would have been to very experienced, proven broodys. I'm not sure about a first time broody. And I also don't know anything about the potential consequences if it doesn't go well.

I wonder if the best thing is to move her anyway. If she breaks, that might not be so bad. I don't really need any more chicks anyway (I have 37 currently) ; I just wanted her to succeed for her own sake. If she accepts the move, I'll have to think about which way to go next. I've got lots of fertile eggs ready anyway and I'll try to do some more research about the chick thing so I can be prepared either way. I'll do a search on here but if anyone has any links to threads or articles that would be good to start with or has any experience to share, that would be great.

It looks like Mozzarella's doing well anyway so hopefully all 4 will hatch for her. She is lovely. I can't remember if you said which breed she is?

She’s a Bresse. Nothing too fancy, obviously not bred for show, because the breeder I ordered from focuses on dual-purpose traits like meat and egg production, which is why I chose the breed anyway.

 

[Waterfaery]

She’s a Bresse. Nothing too fancy, obviously not bred for show, because the breeder I ordered from focuses on dual-purpose traits like meat and egg production, which is why I chose the breed anyway.

Oh, I wondered if she was! I know you mentioned before that you have Bresse and she does look like my hens but I wasn't sure if I was right.

My Bresse are definitely not bred for show either. Many have a few leg feathers. Apart from that, they look exactly like what I've read they're supposed to. We got them for the same purpose as you so I'm not too bothered but I am trying to breed the clean legged ones anyway. We selected our breeders this year based firstly on utility but we used personality and looks, including lack of leg feathers, as secondary criteria.

If I do give Moonsparkle some new eggs, they will be Bresse. I'm leaning that way now rather than giving her chicks after my reading so far, but I'm still not completely decided.

 

[FeatherProfessor]

Good morning! Bra egg is still in tact for another day despite me rolling on to my side last night (the same side the egg was under a tata on). No cracks so far. Just basically keeping my fingers and toes crossed. I’ll update again after candling everything on Wednesday

 

[junior67]

Oh, I wondered if she was! I know you mentioned before that you have Bresse and she does look like my hens but I wasn't sure if I was right.

My Bresse are definitely not bred for show either. Many have a few leg feathers. Apart from that, they look exactly like what I've read they're supposed to. We got them for the same purpose as you so I'm not too bothered but I am trying to breed the clean legged ones anyway. We selected our breeders this year based firstly on utility but we used personality and looks, including lack of leg feathers, as secondary criteria.

If I do give Moonsparkle some new eggs, they will be Bresse. I'm leaning that way now rather than giving her chicks after my reading so far, but I'm still not completely decided.

Not sure I would give an unproven broody older chicks. Not only could she reject them she may also kill them. And the chicks sometimes won't bond with them either.

I had a couple last year that had been sitting for a bit waiting for eggs to come in the mail. They were sitting before I even ordered them so maybe 5-6 days if not a bit over before I got them. Then one of them had zero that developed (bad seller on ebay) and the other only had 1 that was developing. I ended up getting day old chicks for the one that had none. But I would say they sat for 4-5 weeks before they had chicks. Not ideal but they were ok. I would give them a bit of food on the nest when I was out there, I didn't leave food in there since I was worried about mice finding a way in and the other chickens going in more looking for food and hurting the eggs or babies.

This year I had a new broody (well a couple one ended up having her eggs broken and she broke after that happened thankfully)..... she was broody right when I set eggs in the incubator so I gave her 2 eggs at lockdown to hatch out under her. One hatched and all seemed ok. went out to check on them and the first to hatch was running around outside of the next box (there is a lip on it so don't think it jumped over the lip, and the 2nd was still wet in a corner not under mom and another girl was in the nest box with the broody and pecked it. I removed both. the wet one had a couple of scratches/wounds. so that one will NOT be allowed to raise chicks since not sure if she did anything but she didn't protect them at all. but she sat for 3 weeks before that. then STAYED broody after that for at least another week, then she would get off during the day for the most part but go back on at night, just like if she had chicks...... it was so odd. she FINALLY fully broke. I now have 2 more broodies..... LOL one raised 2 chicks last year and the other is the one that had all her eggs broken...... so I will break her.....

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Oh, I wondered if she was! I know you mentioned before that you have Bresse and she does look like my hens but I wasn't sure if I was right.

My Bresse are definitely not bred for show either. Many have a few leg feathers. Apart from that, they look exactly like what I've read they're supposed to. We got them for the same purpose as you so I'm not too bothered but I am trying to breed the clean legged ones anyway. We selected our breeders this year based firstly on utility but we used personality and looks, including lack of leg feathers, as secondary criteria.

If I do give Moonsparkle some new eggs, they will be Bresse. I'm leaning that way now rather than giving her chicks after my reading so far, but I'm still not completely decided.

I have had chickens incubate duck and peafowl eggs before. They incubate for 28 days. So if you switch out your eggs for new you have time if you jump right on it.

 

[Waterfaery]

I have had chickens incubate duck and peafowl eggs before. They incubate for 28 days. So if you switch out your eggs for new you have time if you jump right on it.

Not sure I would give an unproven broody older chicks. Not only could she reject them she may also kill them. And the chicks sometimes won't bond with them either.

I had a couple last year that had been sitting for a bit waiting for eggs to come in the mail. They were sitting before I even ordered them so maybe 5-6 days if not a bit over before I got them. Then one of them had zero that developed (bad seller on ebay) and the other only had 1 that was developing. I ended up getting day old chicks for the one that had none. But I would say they sat for 4-5 weeks before they had chicks. Not ideal but they were ok. I would give them a bit of food on the nest when I was out there, I didn't leave food in there since I was worried about mice finding a way in and the other chickens going in more looking for food and hurting the eggs or babies.

This year I had a new broody (well a couple one ended up having her eggs broken and she broke after that happened thankfully)..... she was broody right when I set eggs in the incubator so I gave her 2 eggs at lockdown to hatch out under her. One hatched and all seemed ok. went out to check on them and the first to hatch was running around outside of the next box (there is a lip on it so don't think it jumped over the lip, and the 2nd was still wet in a corner not under mom and another girl was in the nest box with the broody and pecked it. I removed both. the wet one had a couple of scratches/wounds. so that one will NOT be allowed to raise chicks since not sure if she did anything but she didn't protect them at all. but she sat for 3 weeks before that. then STAYED broody after that for at least another week, then she would get off during the day for the most part but go back on at night, just like if she had chicks...... it was so odd. she FINALLY fully broke. I now have 2 more broodies..... LOL one raised 2 chicks last year and the other is the one that had all her eggs broken...... so I will break her.....

Thank you both so much, that's great to know.

@BirdsBeesTrees, hi! I recognise you from the peafowl forum. I also have peafowl.

So, after lots of reading and advice from you lovelies, I have come up with a plan. I was worried about moving her because the delay in setting something up would prolong her time sitting even more. However, I know I also can't leave her in her current situation because the Australorps are really messing with her eggs and it's just not working. I would hate to start her on fresh eggs only to have that go wrong as well.

My plan is to make some modifications to the flock arrangements that will cause minimum disruption to her but may take some time. So instead of waiting until things are sorted and then making her start the whole 21 days from that point, I've decided to start some in the incubator now and swap them out with her duds as soon as it's suitable when things are settled.

Assuming all goes well, her time sitting will only be extended by 10 days if I start them right now. That will give her a new hatch date of 14th May. The other benefit to this is that if the changes I make in the flock do stress her and she breaks, I can just finish incubating them myself.

To those experienced, does this sound like a viable option? Also, how many to do? I was thinking about 10?

 

[Dinoroar]

Thank you both so much, that's great to know.

@BirdsBeesTrees, hi! I recognise you from the peafowl forum. I also have peafowl.

So, after lots of reading and advice from you lovelies, I have come up with a plan. I was worried about moving her because the delay in setting something up would prolong her time sitting even more. However, I know I also can't leave her in her current situation because the Australorps are really messing with her eggs and it's just not working. I would hate to start her on fresh eggs only to have that go wrong as well.

My plan is to make some modifications to the flock arrangements that will cause minimum disruption to her but may take some time. So instead of waiting until things are sorted and then making her start the whole 21 days from that point, I've decided to start some in the incubator now and swap them out with her duds as soon as it's suitable when things are settled.

Assuming all goes well, her time sitting will only be extended by 10 days if I start them right now. That will give her a new hatch date of 14th May. The other benefit to this is that if the changes I make in the flock do stress her and she breaks, I can just finish incubating them myself.

To those experienced, does this sound like a viable option? Also, how many to do? I was thinking about 10?

That does sound like a good plan. If she’s a solid broody the extra days won’t likely cause her to give up. The hardest part of seems to me would be moving her brooding location. Part of broodies ‘programming’ really seems to be about the location and returning to the exact correct spot.

 

[junior67]

Thank you both so much, that's great to know.

@BirdsBeesTrees, hi! I recognise you from the peafowl forum. I also have peafowl.

So, after lots of reading and advice from you lovelies, I have come up with a plan. I was worried about moving her because the delay in setting something up would prolong her time sitting even more. However, I know I also can't leave her in her current situation because the Australorps are really messing with her eggs and it's just not working. I would hate to start her on fresh eggs only to have that go wrong as well.

My plan is to make some modifications to the flock arrangements that will cause minimum disruption to her but may take some time. So instead of waiting until things are sorted and then making her start the whole 21 days from that point, I've decided to start some in the incubator now and swap them out with her duds as soon as it's suitable when things are settled.

Assuming all goes well, her time sitting will only be extended by 10 days if I start them right now. That will give her a new hatch date of 14th May. The other benefit to this is that if the changes I make in the flock do stress her and she breaks, I can just finish incubating them myself.

To those experienced, does this sound like a viable option? Also, how many to do? I was thinking about 10?

That sounds like a plan!!!!

 

[Waterfaery]

Great, thank you all! 10 eggs are in now.

The next part of the plan is not to move her but to move the Australorps out instead, which will involve some moving around of other birds in another area. Her cockerel will remain with her, mostly because he has nowhere else to go but also because he's very intent on looking after her. I'm hoping the change in flock dynamics doesn't stress her (or him too much) but I think it will be better than trying to move her to a new place on her own.

So I will be remaining in the May thread after all.

Here she is still going strong:

And her new eggs:

 

[Canadian Wind]

I have had chickens incubate duck and peafowl eggs before. They incubate for 28 days. So if you switch out your eggs for new you have time if you jump right on it.

I want to see an OEGB incubate a Muscovy egg, lol!