Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Perris]

congrats on the rosettes! But I'm curious about the 4H points: why do judges penalize for what has been shown to be best practice?

 

[BullChick]

Raise your hand if you were expecting this.

Brown butt (Cher) is the newbie today.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I've understood to always store pointy side down so the air cell end (fat side) is up. Otherwise the air cell can shift, which during hatch is disasterous. The chick needs to gulp that air cell during pipping.

LofMc

 

[Faraday40]

congrats on the rosettes! But I'm curious about the 4H points: why do judges penalize for what has been shown to be best practice?

Some of the kids in our group who stored the eggs with pointed side up had "egg storage" written on their tags and none got blue ribbons. We read in several articles that the air cell should be up. (It's been so long since we bought eggs that I can't remember how they are in the stores.) I'm guessing since air would want to rise, trapping it at the bottom may cause the air cell to detach or something. When incubating via hen, the air cell is to one side, so I doubt it matters, but in most incubators, the air cell is up.

 

[CindyinSD]

Some of the kids in our group who stored the eggs with pointed side up had "egg storage" written on their tags and none got blue ribbons. We read in several articles that the air cell should be up. (It's been so long since we bought eggs that I can't remember how they are in the stores.) I'm guessing since air would want to rise, trapping it at the bottom may cause the air cell to detach or something. When incubating via hen, the air cell is to one side, so I doubt it matters, but in most incubators, the air cell is up.

Conventional "wisdom," known to be true because it seems to make sense, will always trump research to the contrary for, oh, sometimes decades.

 

[Perris]

according to the article, the benefit of point up is that the blastoderm on the yolk stays more central and gives rise to fewer malpositions/deformities in the chicks.
The article does address these issues directly; it is entitled "EFFECT OF PACKING ORIENTATION, DAILY POSITIONAL CHANGE AND VIBRATION ON THE HATCHABILITY OF CHICKEN EGGS STORED UP TO FOUR WEEKS" (caps in original copied here, not me shouting!)

 

[CindyinSD]

"EFFECT OF PACKING ORIENTATION, DAILY POSITIONAL CHANGE AND VIBRATION ON THE HATCHABILITY OF CHICKEN EGGS STORED UP TO FOUR WEEKS" (caps in original copied here, not me shouting!)

They prolly felt a need to shout on account of nobody seeming to be paying attention.

 

[Perris]

yes indeed!

 

[fisherlady]

Raise your hand if you were expecting this.
View attachment 2122035View attachment 2122036
Brown butt (Cher) is the newbie today.

And this is what you get when you get my girls, lol.... I have found with these birds you need to invest in big egg boxes , we have had 3 and 4 trying to share a box. Never had any other birds so intent on sharing spaces like my Silver Pencil Rocks!

 

[fisherlady]

@BullChick
BTW, we are setting a bunch of SPR eggs tonight for broodies who have recently parked. Depending on how many dedicated broodies you have and how your hatch goes I can probably bring you a few day olds to graft, if needed, in 3 weeks.