September Hatch-A-Long

[LisaLouHoo]

Hi, guys, I'd like to join. My broody black silkie is on day one and only sitting on three eggs. Expected hatch day will be Sept 16. I thought I was done thinking about babies since I had all my newcomers hatch in May or June this year and now look pretty grown up. Well, silkie mama went broody and I couldn't resist slipping in just a couple under her, lol. I got a young Swedish Flower Hen cockerel this spring and he's been doing the deed with my hens, so the potential babies will be two BO x SFH and 1 NH x SFH.

 

[Y N dottes]

Hi, guys, I'd like to join. My broody black silkie is on day one and only sitting on three eggs. Expected hatch day will be Sept 16. I thought I was done thinking about babies since I had all my newcomers hatch in May or June this year and now look pretty grown up. Well, silkie mama went broody and I couldn't resist slipping in just a couple under her, lol. I got a young Swedish Flower Hen cockerel this spring and he's been doing the deed with my hens, so the potential babies will be two BO x SFH and 1 NH x SFH.

Of course, this is the place for you.
I've never hatched using a broody hen, but I'm hoping next spring one of my hens will become broody. though from what I hear, it seems they're never broody when u want them to be, and always broody at the worst time. will probably be like that for me

 

[earlyredrooster]

My N.H. broody, I always thought a hen needed a rooster to be broody. I bought her and ten of her sisters the last week in February at t s c. Not one rooster in the bunch, how lucky can you get?
If she sticks with it she should hatch September tenth

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Can I join? I just set 5 eggs yesterday in the incubator, so they are due september 14 they are easter egger/ marans cross.

So you must be hoping for 5 little Olive Eggers, right?

 

[cream puff]

Cream Puff:

I have my eggs in an auto turner, but at lockdown they get put in paper egg cartons (small end down) in which the bottom has been cut out to allow for more air circulation. If you have wonky air cells, the upright position is best. I like it because I can keep track of who's hatching AND the cleanup is pretty easy. As an added bonus, the chicks don't kick the other eggs around.

Thursday night is my Day 18, too!

HI! I just candled again and am down to 3 lively embryos, I recounted the days and I was two days out for lock down, mine go into lockdown on the 30th due to hatch on the 3rd or 4th. I'm afraid to try anything different because I've lost 15 out of 18. It wont lessen the chance of these ones hatching successfully if I put the in the carton at lockdown?

 

[LisaLouHoo]

SO excited I stumbled on this page. I've got a first time broody mom, a white leg-horn if you can believe it. I put some Cream Legbar hatching eggs under her we got from a neighbor. I only did six eggs as I was sure she'd give up and abandon them. But the eggs are due to hatch on September 4th and shes still going strong. We had one egg that turned out to not be fertilized and other we lost, it had a blood ring, but the other four have shown movement during candling. My biggest problem is where to put broody mom now. I need to move her because our current coop wasn't designed for chicks and the babies will fall off the latter trying to get out every morning. We are building a bigger more chick friendly coop but it won't be done in time. I've looked into the dog crate ideas but it rains to much in Western Washington and mom and chicks would get wet . I've got a plastic dog house that I'm trying to convert but I'd need to add a door on it somehow to keep them safe from predators at night. Anyone else have any good cheap temporary home ideas? Is it better to move them after the chicks hatch or do it before? Also I'd like to keep them with the flock if possible as we will be keeping some or all the chicks depending on how many survive.

That's pretty cool that your leghorn went broody. That's suppose to NEVER happen, lol. My 2 cents would be to leave her where she's at until AFTER the chicks hatch. Once the chicks hatch, if you could move her and chicks to a nest on the ground in the coop and watch to see how the other chickens react. The mama should protect them. Or move them to their own place once they hatch. I don't think they'll fall out for a couple days because mama will keep them under her at least for a couple days. Good luck!!

 

[Peep_Show]

HI! I just candled again and am down to 3 lively embryos, I recounted the days and I was two days out for lock down, mine go into lockdown on the 30th due to hatch on the 3rd or 4th. I'm afraid to try anything different because I've lost 15 out of 18. It wont lessen the chance of these ones hatching successfully if I put the in the carton at lockdown?

As with anything, there are no guarantees. I've had quitters at 19 days (and Marans...drats!) And I know what you mean about getting nervous due to dwindling egg numbers. I started out with 40 and am down to 16 and still a few days for havoc to set in.

Placing eggs in cartons to hatch won't lessen the hatchability...UNLESS you use plastic cartons. But if you have a cardboard pulp egg carton and you snip the bottom off of it, it should be fine. I am convinced it helped some chicks I had with horrid air cells due to shipping hatch...they got their directionals right and came out on top. But if you're more comfortable and less anxious about laying eggs on their sides, then do what's right for you. Mother Nature will let whomever hatches hatch.

- - -

Just did another candling and may have one more questionable Welsummer egg (e.g. the one I'd lay money on not to hatch). The rest of the eggs have filled out and darkened their shells nicely. The F2 Olive Egger three remaining eggs look great, but the 1 sex-link OE egg...eh, not so much. The 7 Cinnamon Queens look good as do four of the five remaining Welsummers. Lockdown is tomorrow night late.

It's closing in on Day 5 on the TJ eggs and they're all looking suspiciously clear.

Weird to have so many and no development. I'm thinking perhaps I'm having high altitude problems... That and the eggs are awfully porous. Hopefully I'll get enough pullets this first time around hatching that I don't have to do a second incubation and hatching....but - dang - I wanted a TJ chick in my flock.

 

[Peep_Show]

I used to hatch on the sides (before I got the auto turner). But then I read an article here in BYC and since then I won't do it any other way. Unless, of course, I have a goose egg or something that wouldn't fit upright for hatching.

Good Luck to all who've set their eggs!

 

[cream puff]

I used to hatch on the sides (before I got the auto turner). But then I read an article here in BYC and since then I won't do it any other way. Unless, of course, I have a goose egg or something that wouldn't fit upright for hatching.

Good Luck to all who've set their eggs!

do you have a link to the article? I'll try it, I have another dozen waiting in the wings in case these three don't make it.

 

[Peep_Show]

In the Search bar type in "Egg Carton Hatching" and you'll see all sorts of results, pros and cons. It may help with your decision.