Silky hatch-along and OdoBan on eggs experiment

[Antiocheggers]

I have a few questions. Incubator versus Broody Hen ? Under a Broody hen do you still candle them, turn them or does she do all that? Can you order eggs to put under a broody hen ?

 

[fluffycrow]

Depends on your needs, wants, how many eggs you'll set, what your goals are, etc. You can candle the eggs under a broody normally. No, you do not need to turn the eggs. She does that. You can put shipped eggs under a broody, but let them rest the normal 24 hours before setting them

 

[Debbie292d]

I have a few questions. Incubator versus Broody Hen ? Under a Broody hen do you still candle them, turn them or does she do all that? Can you order eggs to put under a broody hen ?

Usually, they will sit on them. A trick is to put one egg at a time in front of her and let her pull it in under her. If she doesn't, or she is done being broody by the time you get the eggs, there could be an issue. The nice thing about hens hatching the eggs is they take care of the babies rather than you.

When I had people asking me for chicks, it was too hard for me to take them from the hen, so I bought an incubator. And then that grew into two incubators, two temp pens, a brooder in the living room, etc.

 

[Nomadicus]

I wouldn't take chicks a way from a hen before she weans them. I will candle Sunday night and am some bit nervous as there is quite a bit of things to be learned from this hatch. I discovered that the turner motor was running but the linkage that turned the eggs was out of its connecting slot. They didn't get turned for 2-3 days. I've been running humidity in the upper 40's to 55% range to hopefully prevent shrink wrapping in such small eggs. At lock down I'll fill another reservoir and bump the humidity to at least 75%.

 

[Debbie292d]

I wouldn't take chicks a way from a hen before she weans them. I will candle Sunday night and am some bit nervous as there is quite a bit of things to be learned from this hatch. I discovered that the turner motor was running but the linkage that turned the eggs was out of its connecting slot. They didn't get turned for 2-3 days. I've been running humidity in the upper 40's to 55% range to hopefully prevent shrink wrapping in such small eggs. At lock down I'll fill another reservoir and bump the humidity to at least 75%.

I took two-day-old chicks away twice, but both times I left her with one. They were happy. The second time, two hens were the mom of one, so that was one spoiled chick! That chick was months old and still sleeping in the same nest box with two hens. Granted, they're small birds but three of them scrunched in one nest box was hilarious. I will never let them hatch again though.

I wouldn't think 2-3 days of not turning when they're a week old would be hugely critical at that stage, around a week. I read of some people who never turn their eggs. I don't know if I even believe half of that.

 

[Nomadicus]

I've watched hens turn their eggs. It's not rocket science it's hens partly intuition and partly guess work.

 

[Nomadicus]

I think a hen turns her eggs not only with her beak but some as she shifts her weigh around and more when she does get on and off the nest.

 

[Debbie292d]

I think a hen turns her eggs not only with her beak but some as she shifts her weigh around and more when she does get on and off the nest.

Hopefully, they all were patient and are fine now that they're turning again!

 

[TwoCrows]

Good morning eggies, time to rise and shine!

 

[2ndTink]

Day 7!

I just finished candling.
The list is updated: Scratch outs are goners, green is good, and green with question mark I wasn't sure/dark eggs.

This isn't going quite as well as I'd hoped on the shipped eggs as we're at 61.1% looking viable thus far, and a few I kept are questionable, but not out yet.

I will note 3B @The Chick Addict egg was doing summersaults and gets the award for the most lively egg.

We say goodbye to 1B, 2B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 10B, and 12P of the shipped eggs.

In the Brinsea, we have normal eggs and some Odoban eggs. Boy did that incubator smell good!

We say goodbye to 22 (fresh quitter), 25-O, and 28-O which were early quitters.



Hubby sang Doris Day's, Que Sera Sera (whatever will be will be) before chucking them down the hill.

View attachment 3724971

I'm sorry so many buffs didn't develop, I hope the ones that hatch are extra perfect

Interesting on the 2 Odoban quitters being early ones.

And, I love that your hubby sang to them, that's a great way to say goodbye.