Do I need to do a broody breaker?
A broody will make your egg count drop by her one egg only for around 9-12 weeks usually.
A "breaker" (elevated wire bottom kennel or even a rabbit cage) is only needed if you actually need to keep broody hens away from their nest. I use an open bottom kennel on the grass during nice daytime weather and put them in the elevated coop one at night. NO bedding being key to helping cool them off. I don't do the cold water dunk crud. Don't put a hen in the breaker before she tried to spend the night in the lay box. Some ladies are slower layers than others.
If you have a broody hen that may not be a prolific layer anyways... might be good to let her raise chicks for you and save any cost on heating lamps also decreases bedding need cuz the hen takes chicks out all day and only chicks poo in the nest at night. To decrease time spent sitting and egg production loss, I adopt incubator chicks to a hen who already proven reliable at about 1 week into broody if I have them available. It keeps the hens in better condition to then letting them sit forever. NONE of my hens that chose to set ever quit without me breaking them, yet. What's more, I especially like them to raise my cockerel chicks if auto sexing like my Bielefelder or sex linked as in my previous FBCM roo X BR hen. Then I can raise and friendly up pullets while boys learn manners from the flock. My large fowl hens were more CAPABLE broodies than my Silkies who were just excessively broody.
With regards to heat lamps... I have replaced so many bulbs (250W white and red over tighten so easily and blow out & too hot for indoors but not available at lower wattage, 100 & 150W infrared pricey as heck and don't heat nearly as well) plus the cost of electricity to run them. I recently invested in a heating plate and expect it pay for itself in electricity in the first 1-2 sessions. I've tried mama heating pad, and almost killed some chicks that got wrapped inside the plastic wrap I was using... so it wasn't for
me but now I have an extra $20 heating pad. I should've just bought the plate YEARS ago. It's great to have alternatives so I'm just sharing my experience and some ideas in case you haven't heard of or looked into them. Fire safety is a huge bonus.
Stop those egg eaters... put them in their own coop, give them away, sell them, or eat them. Egg count should be increasing with daylight NOT decreasing. Some egg eating is just happy accident from a weaker egg breaking. But if it's something that's actively being done becoming habitual then swift action is needed before it gets learned by the entire flock. Have you been able to identify them yet?
Since egg production is important to you.. I would NOT add any more Orps unless maybe the Australorp. I would consider adding in more RIR or some Leghorn... or something that lays prolifically without being known for broodiness or reproductive issue that decrease longevity. In other words replacing sex links every couple years might increase cost of keeping.
I like to add in pullets EVERY year.. and sell off older ladies that have returned to lay after molt but earlier in the season so their new owner gets a good lay season before they molt again and the young layers will come into lay by the time the kept older ladies are entering molt. The older gals still go for about $20+ which is more valuable than putting them on my table. Most will lay well around 5 years. This is also how I continually increase quality in my breeding stock... keep the best of the best and eat or sell the rest... to meet MY desired flock size and keep it checked and balanced.
If you add in some barred rocks... or cuckoo/barred any ladies... you could hatch your own sex linked chicks with a solid non white rooster... And if you select for vigor etc... maybe even avoid some of the issues seen in hatchery sex links. Of course selling chicks is just a bonus to me, but pure bred chicks will often sell for more than barnyard mix.
Using a RIR or Leghorn Rooster could increase your egg production in future generations over current Orps or other Dual purpose breeds IF meat production isn't important to you. I process ALL my boys... even Silkies, white faced black Spanish... etc... size and breed doesn't matter to me as much as hatching responsibly. If I don't have desire to put some in the freezer for whatever reason... I'm not above composting them, burying them under a new planted tree as fertilizer, or even leaving for the barn cats to polish off after humanely dispatching.
told me to remove the red plugs...I don5 see any...where would they be?
They're usually on the top... yours are already gone. With regards to the suggestion not to open bator until day 4... I often can't see solid development until then.. but yes, proceed how YOU feel best, according to your current understanding. As time goes on, you will find YOUR preferred way... maybe try different ideas and see what works best for YOU. I would love for you try one hatch with the moving and one without and see HOW it effect your hatching time frame... is it closer, more spread, or zero difference?? One thing about that dry article... they were using a cabinet incubator... maybe they already set their eggs without any turner warm spots or something like that? Cabinets have a lot more STABILITY, I think. I know my large aquariums were a LOT easier to stabilize than my small ones and I think it does translate... This is a perfect example of so many differing ways, doing what makes most sense to us at the time, realizing that everyone may be making suggestions based on THEIR set up and conditions and how it translates to our personal reality.
Then it again said don’t not open it at all from day 18 on...do I move the eggs then.....or are they right on that part?
It's true. When I do my final candling on day 18, I also remove the turner. After marking my air cells, all seemingly viable eggs will be placed back in the bator... basically as center as possible, low side air cell facing ceiling... it will still draw down a bunch more and pip below the mark most likely. I spend this day getting my humidity up... 65% +.. but without condensation dripping. Usually even in my humid location that means all wells are filled... depth only effects how long it will last... If your humidity has dropped say 50% or below.. or on day 20, if your don't see any external pips... it is okay to open the bator to add water.
Usually folks should not open the bator after
external pips.. in order to prevent "shrink wrapping"... from the sudden decrease in temp and humidity. It's a good advice! It also is meant to help keep folks from assisting hatches and allowing for nature to take it's course... only the strong survive figuring those who weren't strong enough to hatch was for a reason that ultimately won't benefit you keeping in your breeding stock. If I wan't to open the bator during this time... I usually hang towels or blankets around the top and draping over my arms, keeping it closed as possible and working quickly but calmly and carefully.. to stop the rapid temp/humidity change. I don't think I've shrink wrapped any yet. I have both assisted and not assisted hatch... sometimes making things worse other times saving a chick life.
You will face MANY choices, and your response might not be the same each time... mine sure isn't, though I generally try to be consistent... the brain wanders! Through out this I learned that I will NOT fix splay leg in chicks period. I have been both successful and not at it... but the problem was once fixed it blends in and may be included in breeding stock. Since very few ever had splay leg, while many others thrived regardless of hatch substrate, I consider it genetic weakness, I cull cross beak as soon as I see it (10% in my most recent new breed and not until their first outing at 3 weeks old when it became more evident, despite not being seen in any breeder, but never before that with other breeds). I will administer nutri drench for star gazers, but not if they hatched from my own flock as I KNOW my breeder nutrition is good and storage conditions of my eggs. When I have one that won't connect with food no matter how hard I try withing the first couple days... I consider it failure to thrive and I cull instead of letting them slowly starve to death in front of me. They often pick the feed up even but drop it instead of swallowing. VERY few of these... but when all chick are content and one gripes non stop... there IS a reason... always check for pasty butt... no matter how many times folks say it's caused by too hot brooder or stress, I have seen pasty butt EVEN in broody raised chicks and it can for MANY reasons and is deadly fast. I have also seen it in brooder chicks hatched at home, never shipped or over crowded, and with all the other chicks doing just fine. So each is an individual with it's own immune system and such and even under the same conditions some will thrive while others not so much... SELECT for VIGOR first.
I once hatched a set of chicks that 50% had severe toe curling under due to a power outage when I wasn't home that lasted a good while about mid incubation. Those were my first deformities ever seen and knowing I would eat the boys anyways let them grow out to see what happened. Well one was female who I rehomed for free to be with another disabled chicken, at that point dispatching a hen for my freezer wasn't in my brain process. As she got older and gained size, roosting was not going to happen. It appeared uncomfortable. I will NOT rehome ANY more deformities after that... too many folks still allow breeding to take place and that's going to weaken my community. Plus I feel as though it could effect my reputation. Since needing to "euthanize" an older hen who had started laying lash eggs... Ladies don't get a free pass anymore... they are used where is deemed most appropriate, either to the pocket book or the heart. Some have made special connections and allowed to stay even once no longer laying even though I can't let everyone stay. Everyone does get treated equal, with care and respect. They all have the best life I can give and ONE bad moment that's over before they can process what just happened.
I have to buy more hens!! Fast!!
Please head my words of caution.. if not now, at some point in the future you may kick yourself and start then..
Marek's vaccinated birds NOT welcome here to hide the disease and allow it to proliferate IF it shows up.
Use good bio security measures and NEVER bring a bird from someone else coop/pasture. Marek's is only one thing but things like MC/MG, IB or others are just as, if not more scary. Always use an NPIP hatchery or breeder when adding new stock. While there are many things NPIP doesn't test for or consider report able (including MDv), it at least test for Salmonella which no one wants in the flock. Last years outbreak of New Castle's disease in southern California caused mandatory quarantine and eventual euthanasia of 1000's of back yard flocks in some counties. If you do have the space to provide TRUE quarantine before risking the rest of your flock, then please use it if you must bring in started birds to meet your demand. Otherwise maybe do what you can currently for those patrons divided up as you see fit and explain the biosecurity measures you're taking to ensure the health of your entire flock and thus the eggs they will be consuming. This essentially in my eyes, is added value to the reason why folks choose to by local. Small farmers do care about more than just their bottom dollar they care about people and their animals.
but I’m not sure if the eggs are old enough.
I don't age eggs on purpose before setting. Almost always, I will collect right up until the day I set and set them. If I was going to age them on purpose... I believe 2-3 days might be the right time frame... Noting that this essentially changes the ph of the egg (increases I think but could be the opposite since too many facts and figures can get jumbled in my memory, and temperature may effect how long)... but egg ph also changes with age of hen being lowest as young pullets... I say no extra waiting... if the egg was laid, it's old enough to set. The incubation guide I linked does talk about this some. And this is just my take... lots of things that talk about increasing or decreasing hatch rate... may only be talking about less than 1%.. which matters not much to home folks but a whole lot on the commercial scale... so a lot of the tips may have minuscule impact individually but all together maybe SOME. Our goal of course is always best hatch possible... USE
calibrated thermometer for the biggest impact on hatch rates.
There are all kinds of things I haven't mentioned and don't CURRENTLY do that you might be interested in.. like spritzing eggs. Without any extra tips besides calibrate your temp and turn your eggs and odd amount of times per day not less than 3... My very first hatch was 100% and rarely have I achieved that again. I most often achieve 85%+ which is not bad compared to commercial hatch rates I've seen. I'm kinda a perfectionist but also a realist (and a bit lazy) so I only wash my hands of they REALLY need it, like I was just handling cheese or something like that. I have sat eggs with poop that hatched just fine. I've washed them off and they hatch fine. I have scraped the poo off and rubbed it off with the scrubby side of a dry sponge sponge. Generally though keeping bumm feathers poo free, and lay boxes clean it isn't an issue. If a lady poos in the box after she lays regularly, she will be cut from my stock.. poo eggs do me no good, as they are often stained anyways even after washing. So they get boiled or scrambled and fed back to the animals as a treat while figuring out who needs help in that department. Your flocks are kinda large.. so you may see a lot of things smaller keepers will never see. Just when I think I've seen it all (and I really haven't), something new and amazing (or scary) comes to light... Very few things can keep my interest long term... and after 10+ years of keeping poultry I feel like I'm just beginning. Once breeding starts... especially if you have a purpose... the genetics becomes fascinating! And turning your flock into what you desire is VERY rewarding... truly for me just something to focus my (mind) energy on positively instead of being sucked into the undertow of the world. I learn something new every day and having new life popping up in your home while others around may not be knowing that joy on any average day of your choosing is an amazing pay off! The new life outweighs the challenges most of the time.
My chromebooks is dying, sorry so much detail especially if I repeated any!
Adventure ON!
