NY chicken lover!!!!

[Sweetpea3829]

Use a lead pencil not markers as the ink can leach into the porous egg shell.

DOH!!! Could that explain the blood rings I'm getting in a LOT of my incubating eggs? I didn't mark much...just a G for "good" and a W for "watch".

 

[Cass]

Use a lead pencil not markers as the ink can leach into the porous egg shell.

Rancher, I have been using marker since I started this whole mess a couple years again. I get almost 100% hatch rates with my broodies. IF you are really that worried, use non-toxic markers made for kids. Lead pencil marks get rolled off when the bird moves her eggs. Lead pencil has only worked for me when I used an incubator. Which was ONCE. I tried pencil on eggs under a broody and after about 4 days I couldn't find the marks any more. So I will use marker and not have to harrass the broody every 4 days to remark the eggs, which takes a LOT longer than just grabbing the few that don't have a circle of marker all the way around them---done so I don't even have to touch the eggs that I want her to hatch, just grab the ones that have no marker and leave her the heck alone.

And yes, marker *can* leach through the porous egg shell, but in my experience it hasn't done anything to the developing chicks....but I put ONE circle around the egg, not a whole lot of info, like date, breed, etc....so the amount is the bare minimum to get the job done.

 

[marquisella]

Quote: I forgot to put that in the post. Its at the TSC inn Auburn.

 

[Cass]

DOH!!! Could that explain the blood rings I'm getting in a LOT of my incubating eggs? I didn't mark much...just a G for "good" and a W for "watch".

In my experience marker does nothing to hatch rates. Blood rings might be genetic....your rooster is too closely related to your hens? Your hens hatched from a breeding of close relatives? If you want to check about marker being at fault get fertile eggs from someone else and mark them just the way you have been and see if you have a problem with blood rings.

 

[marquisella]

Quote: I use Markers with no issues. These days they aren't so toxic if at all.

 

[horsekeeper]

My hatches are doing great using marker and I can see it better.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Evening all. Finished painting all the trim on the coop this morning so the outside is done. Now I have to strip out the inside, scrub it down and decide if I am going to put fresh paint in there. I am also going to permethryin the crap out of it in case any bugs took up residence in there. Have to fix up the skirting and the run then rake down the run and underneath the coop so its all ready for the brat pack. They are getting huge and unruly and are only 4 weeks old! I let Little Man and his ladies out this morning and there was a hawk cruising overhead screetching. It went away and everyone relaxed again. Had a nice easter get together at the inlaws and brought the terrorists some leftovers. They were thrilled.

Have a good evening.

 

[Cass]

Can you feed them at night ...so they come in ? or are there treats that they love that will get their butts off the pond ?
I dont remember seeing a pond at your house .

The pond is just behind the house about 100 yards. And they don't want food or treats, they have a whole pond full of goodies to eat. Sigh. They came in last night and I chased them in tonight. I almost can't wait til she has decided to set on her eggs. SHE is the problem, the drake just sits there waiting for her to come out and go to bed. (Isn't that just like a guy, trying to get her into bed? LOL)

 

[Cass]

Date the eggs with a marker and wait until she starts to set. Choose the number you want her to incubate from the freshest eggs and shake the rest like they are in a paint shaker to scramble them so they do not develop. Mark them as no good and after she has been setting a while and is no longer laying new eggs, remove the bad ones and you will end up with the number you want her to brood.

THAT is a wonderful idea. I wish I thought of it before I put the numbers 1 - 3 on them. But I WILL do exactly what you said....shake up the oldest eggs so they don't hatch so I can determine how many she hatches. I really really really don't want 12 more birds. Six more would be fine. I'll keep the hens and sell the drakes.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

In my experience marker does nothing to hatch rates. Blood rings might be genetic....your rooster is too closely related to your hens? Your hens hatched from a breeding of close relatives? If you want to check about marker being at fault get fertile eggs from someone else and mark them just the way you have been and see if you have a problem with blood rings.

Nah, these were shipped eggs, some from Meyer and some from a BYCer here. I set 29 eggs and am down to 16. Lost a few as clears, but quite a few that just didn't develop past a couple of days and developed blood rings.