Possible breeding program

[LaurenRitz]

I just put 8 KraienkoppeX, 3 MaransX (she laid through the winter), and 5 unknown-but-definitely-pullet eggs in the incubator. The pullets might be the Dorking-Sussex cross or my single surviving game. Probably not any of the older hens because they don't lay eggs that big.

 

[LaurenRitz]

One of the "leftover" eggs from my broody hatched in the incubator. She has a tendency to collect eggs the others have laid, and while you could say "Maybe the other hens are laying in her nest," she also collects all the fake eggs.

The other chicks are a week old.

Baby hatched yesterday morning. I kept her in the incubator until last night and slipped her into the nest.

Well, slipped is a misnomer, since she was screaming the whole time. Made Mama very upset.

This morning they're one happy family, so looks like it worked.

Last time the baby imprinted but she didn't. Still allowed the baby to sleep with the others, no pecking, but she was indifferent to it.

She's an amazing broody. I've given her live chicks as early as 8 days, grafted babies a week after the others hatched, and never had her reject a chick. She raises them to be excellent foragers.

 

[LaurenRitz]

And of course, the egg I almost discarded has also hatched.

She accepted it, and this morning it looks like another one has gone broody. She found a spot in the garage, on a low shelf behind a box and a pile of bricks.

I'll give her a few days to settle, then if she sticks I'll move her to the broody coop. I have a set of eggs in the incubator, and if she sticks she should be timing it nicely to get those chicks.

Or if she’s actually sitting on eggs, I may let her hatch them. I doubt she is, though.

Another bird is dead this morning. Looks like she got pushed off the end of the high roost. I need to replace the short board with a longer one that can butt right up against the wall.

She was one of the older birds that moved herself out of the coop.