New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[1muttsfan]

Moved my Broody hen tonight after dark into the small chicken coop under a plastic tub. She had been sitting on four wooden eggs and I stuck those under her, they were nice and warm. She did not fuss it all just kind of buck bucked a couple times so I left her there in the dark to figure it out. If she is sitting on those eggs tomorrow, I'll give her some real ones

 

[1muttsfan]

That hen has been sitting like a trooper, she hardly moves a feather even when you reach under her, and usually she's fairly flighty. So I traded out her 4 wooden eggs for a dozen real eggs and we'll see how she does.

 

[1muttsfan]

I gave her 13 eggs, her eyes got really big as she felt the eggs materialize under her. she's twice as wide as she is tall right now. Those Erminettes are big girls, they look bigger than Delawares but they're fluffier so I think they're about the same size

 

[speckledhen]

Aw, gotta love those broodies! I was searching BYC to jog my memory about how the hygro in the Genesis ran, high or low, and found that I did incubate a few eggs in it from the Brahmas in March 2018. I completely forgot doing that, but I said that the time that in comparison to my calibrated analog hygrometer, it reads a tad low. I can't find my little hygro anywhere, so I ordered a new one to keep the Genesis honest. I'll figure it runs about 5% low and adjust accordingly until that gets here and I calibrate it. I didn't get any eggs from the Rocks in time to put any in the incubator. Jane and Athena laid eggs in the same nest late yesterday, but even if I knew which was which, it was too far behind, IMO.

ETA: Nah, I canceled the order for a new hygro. Seemed overkill. I'll just assume that the Genesis is running about 5% too low and adjust accordingly. I found another older hygro/thermo combination unit, popped in a new battery and I'm calibrating it today. Maybe it will be a good backup, hopefully not as off as the Fluker was.

 

[speckledhen]

Candled my 25 Brahma eggs today on Day 7. Of 25, 4 were infertile. Three of those appeared to be from the same hen and my bet is on B.J. The other was differently shaped so no idea about who that belongs to. That means at this point, 21 eggs are still humming along. One or two had darker and/or mottled shells making it harder to be 100% sure, but time will tell. Something is/was growing in them. If I get 18-20 chicks, that will give me some to sell and set up someone else with these big, handsome birds.

 

[speckledhen]

Tossed one egg that I had made a notation to recheck. It had started, but was a quitter. So, on Day 11, still have 20 going, but I didn't candle the others because they all seemed completely normal the first time, other than the one I removed today, that is.

 

[1muttsfan]

So I finally managed to stay up late enough for it to be dark out (the sky is light until after 10 this time of year). I'm not sure if I candled every single egg because I was just pulling them out from underneath her and then stuffing them back in, but I found two early quitters, which looked exactly alike, and 1 non-starter ( the only Erminette egg). So 10 eggs left, unless I missed one

 

[speckledhen]

That's good, Mary! I candled mine today on Day 15, though I intended to only "spot candle" a few of them. All 20 have dancing Brahma babies in there and some were really boogieing up a storm! I don't think I missed one. So, started with 25, 4 infertiles at first candling, removed one quitter after the first week and now, 20 seem to be doing well.

 

[1muttsfan]

for excellent hatches

 

[speckledhen]

Six hatched total so far, one is still drying off in the incubator, but the first five are snoozing in the brooder. Already, one has figured out that the hands that come through the drop down door are warm and comforting and goes over to the door, looks up and cheeps loudly for someone to pick it up.... that one *has* to be a rooster because I am a rooster magnet.