Need advice!!

[mirandamommy]

I have 2 bourbon red hens and 1 tom that I got last March to have for thanksgiving and christmas. Well...they're still around-I chickened out . They have been mating and I noticed an egg in there coop today

! What do I do? I've never hatched an egg before and do not have any equipment. Will they take care of it themselves? How do I know if it's viable or not? Will the tom bother the egg? Help!!

 

[ivan3]

Is the hen in a corner? You can simply give her more straw to work with and section off that area with boards/etc. (doesn't need to be fancy, just sturdy). The toms usually won't bother with the eggs (beyond galumphing them into a scrambled mess), an oddball might usurp the nest from the hen or try to `help-out??'. The hen(s) won't actually go broody until her magic number is reached (have seen everything from ten to twenty-three), so you can mark them if you like before she gets all hissy with you.

This is my favorite candling page: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/pfs32.htm

 

[chickenannie]

Yay, now you can have poults! Hens are great moms. I was very excited when I saw my first turkey egg!

 

[mirandamommy]

Okay...so not broody until she lays more...but what happens to the eggs prior to her going broody? Will they survive with no warmth? Mark them....why?

 

[chseeads]

They will be fine until a full clutch is laid....you're in Central Cali? Is the temp mild? As long as it's not super cold out it won't hurt them.

The marking is so you know which ones are old or new.....you could put the date on them with a pencil so you know who/what is laying in the nest.