So my family is crazy excited to start breeding our on chickens this year for our own familys eggs.
We have purchased fertilized eggs before, which turned out wonderful. Observing the entire process of broodies, hatching out chicks, flock integration, etc... It was such an easy process for my family, we want to do it every year. This time around, though, we want to do it on our own.
Last year we got a rooster (sssshhhhhh, we are not allowed roosters where we live). To make a long story short, we mastered the rooster collar concept. I use a simple 3/4" wide by 6" long piece of double sided velcro, and adjust it over the course of a few days on our roo, to achieve the desired volume drop. We are on our 3rd rooster, as the first 2 were too aggressive for my wife and children. We acquired our current rooster from a local rooster re-home farm. His name is Chester, he is 4, and is not aggressive. So now that we have a rooster that does not annoy our HOA housing development, its time to start making baby chicks of our own.
In the Pacific Northwest, is there a recommended month to begin letting hens go broody for egg production outside?
At the end of last summer, early fall, we attempted to hatch out our first brood with fertile eggs. It took us a while to figure out candling. What I feel from observing peoples photos they post of candled eggs, is that when we candle in real life, they are difficult to make out whats going on inside the egg.
So if you guys have any tips to make candling easier, please share them.
Anyhow, our brood last year never hatched out. All of the chicks didn't make it through the last week of growing inside the eggs, and we figured it was due to the temperature dropping outside. The eggs were not abandoned, and the hen did her best. We feel the temperature was just to cold outside, and when the broody hen got off to eat and have a break, the eggs cooled down to fast.
Does anyone have any advice about outside temperature to begin letting a broody hen sit on fertile eggs?
My entire family cannot wait till we can begin another brood, and see the process begin on our own this year!
We have purchased fertilized eggs before, which turned out wonderful. Observing the entire process of broodies, hatching out chicks, flock integration, etc... It was such an easy process for my family, we want to do it every year. This time around, though, we want to do it on our own.
Last year we got a rooster (sssshhhhhh, we are not allowed roosters where we live). To make a long story short, we mastered the rooster collar concept. I use a simple 3/4" wide by 6" long piece of double sided velcro, and adjust it over the course of a few days on our roo, to achieve the desired volume drop. We are on our 3rd rooster, as the first 2 were too aggressive for my wife and children. We acquired our current rooster from a local rooster re-home farm. His name is Chester, he is 4, and is not aggressive. So now that we have a rooster that does not annoy our HOA housing development, its time to start making baby chicks of our own.
In the Pacific Northwest, is there a recommended month to begin letting hens go broody for egg production outside?
At the end of last summer, early fall, we attempted to hatch out our first brood with fertile eggs. It took us a while to figure out candling. What I feel from observing peoples photos they post of candled eggs, is that when we candle in real life, they are difficult to make out whats going on inside the egg.
So if you guys have any tips to make candling easier, please share them.
Anyhow, our brood last year never hatched out. All of the chicks didn't make it through the last week of growing inside the eggs, and we figured it was due to the temperature dropping outside. The eggs were not abandoned, and the hen did her best. We feel the temperature was just to cold outside, and when the broody hen got off to eat and have a break, the eggs cooled down to fast.
Does anyone have any advice about outside temperature to begin letting a broody hen sit on fertile eggs?
My entire family cannot wait till we can begin another brood, and see the process begin on our own this year!
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