Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Dang Bee, I'm so sorry about Hootie!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Can you tell me the difference? Where is that dividing line between pullet and hen egg? Just the calendar date? Other than that, what physical characteristics would one be able to see that differs between the two...say an egg laid at 10 mo. as opposed to 12 mo.?

I must confess, all these years of looking at eggs the only distinguishing characteristic I've been able to see between a pullet egg and what I consider a mature hen's egg is size, consistency of shape and size, and consistency of lay. Is there something I'm missing that I should be looking for?

No, nothing special to look for. Pullet eggs, once they reach correct size and shape are fine for hatching. I was thinking about my own personal rules and getting them mixed up with what I was saying.

I do not hatch pullet eggs. If you want to, go for it. I wait until my birds have gone through their first molt and refeather and are laying again... a lot of work and feed goes into that bird. A lot of birds change dramatically after that first big molt, generally right before their second winter. I wait because of the potential changes. It is at that point that you can see what you really have in your yard. Breeding/hatching before that time is very iffy. If you don't like that bird after that molt, what are you going to do with all the chicks on the ground that came from her, or him for that matter?

This is my practice from a breeder's viewpoint. This is what I do with my Andalusians.

For my yardbird flock, which are a bunch of mismatched, Heinz 57 type of birds, I'll hatch a pullet egg, after it reaches correct size.

 

[BCMaraniac]

a pullet is a very young hen, just starting to lay.... it is widely accepted that their reproductive system is still 'working out the kinks' so they are more prone to double yolks, sometimes no yolk or other physical defects such as odd shaping or porous shells... all which can have a negative effect on the eggs. So for the first month or two they are often referred to as 'pullet eggs'

My favorite use for pullet eggs is pickled eggs!

Edit to clarify.... I am sure there are plenty of pullet eggs which have been successfully brooded, I am just stating my preference to avoid them if I have other choices so I reduce the likely hood of a dud egg because of the higher risks involved.

That's what I do with my pullet eggs.....so I can get a dozen eggs per quart jar.

 

[Beekissed]

Update on heating pad brooder setup: Major fail/flaw on the heating pad brooder....if the electric goes off..even for a little blip in time, the heating pad does not turn back on like a heat lamp or heat plate would do.

Found that out today, in the nick of time, praise the Lord, but the electric had went off this morning and I hadn't known it. When I awakened it was snowing and blowing here, temps were in the low 30s and I had to go to town later on and would be gone for several hours, so I put the heat lamp up over the brooder space at a height that would just keep the feed and water from freezing but wouldn't keep the chicks properly warmed...I really wanted the heating pad setup to be their main source of heat.

When I came home and checked on the chicks most of them were active and out in the brooder being chicks as per usual, but one was sitting next to the feeder, peeping that steady, low peeping that indicates a chilled chick...when I put it under the heating pad brooder I found it to have gone cold. That's the first I knew the electric had went off until I asked my mother and she confirmed it~she hadn't thought to tell me because she didn't know/think about the brooder heating pad setup.

So, tomorrow I will be returning to just the heat lamp brooder setup per usual...actually..may go implement that tonight due to the blizzard raging outside my window right now and the worry of the electric going off in the middle of the night, even briefly.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

[COLOR=FF0000]Update on heating pad brooder setup:  Major fail/flaw on the heating pad brooder....if the electric goes off..even for a little blip in time, the heating pad does not turn back on like a heat lamp or heat plate would do. [/COLOR]

Found that out today, in the nick of time, praise the Lord, but the electric had went off this morning and I hadn't known it.  When I awakened it was snowing and blowing here, temps were in the low 30s and I had to go to town later on and would be gone for several hours, so I put the heat lamp up over the brooder space at a height that would just keep the feed and water from freezing but wouldn't keep the chicks properly warmed...I really wanted the heating pad setup to be their main source of heat.

When I came home and checked on the chicks most of them were active and out in the brooder being chicks as per usual, but one was sitting next to the feeder, peeping that steady, low peeping that indicates a chilled chick...when I put it under the heating pad brooder I found it to have gone cold.  That's the first I knew the electric had went off until I asked my mother and she confirmed it~she hadn't thought to tell me because she didn't know/think about the brooder heating pad setup. 

So, tomorrow I will be returning to just the heat lamp brooder setup per usual...actually..may go implement that tonight due to the blizzard raging outside my window right now and the worry of the electric going off in the middle of the night, even briefly. 

I had wondered about that. I'll try to snap a pic of my 'hear source'

 

[aart]

Update on heating pad brooder setup: Major fail/flaw on the heating pad brooder....if the electric goes off..even for a little blip in time, the heating pad does not turn back on like a heat lamp or heat plate would do.

Huh...that stinks. Glad you caught it and that it didn't happen in the middle of the night.
Will have to test mine tomorrow, just for curiosities sake because I have an older model, by flipping the breaker off and back on.

Something I don't like about the heating pad, not sure if it's on or not. Course I'm still brooding in the house so I'd hear the screaming if it went off for long.
Another problem they don't seem to go under at dark, they pile in a corner and peeppeeppeeppeeppeep until I shove them all under there...only had to hold one under tonite then the rest followed.

 

[Beekissed]

Mine are using it well...that is...when it's providing warmth. When I went up this morning they were all still under it, warm and safe, so it must have been directly after that the electric went off. They seem to return to it well now, have learned to not huddle in corners and are using the nipple bucket like they've been doing it for years. CX are a quick study on how to find feed and water, and it seems they are the same when finding a heat source.

 

[aart]

Mine are using it well...that is...when it's providing warmth. When I went up this morning they were all still under it, warm and safe, so it must have been directly after that the electric went off. They seem to return to it well now, have learned to not huddle in corners and are using the nipple bucket like they've been doing it for years. CX are a quick study on how to find feed and water, and it seems they are the same when finding a heat source.

Well, they've been using it fine for 2 weeks, just been the last few days. I have 2, 3 & 4 week olds in there and the biggest chicks are not quite fitting under it anymore, I jacked up the height this evening, we'll see tomorrow nite if that did the trick.

 

[fisherlady]

Mine are using it well...that is...when it's providing warmth. When I went up this morning they were all still under it, warm and safe, so it must have been directly after that the electric went off. They seem to return to it well now, have learned to not huddle in corners and are using the nipple bucket like they've been doing it for years. CX are a quick study on how to find feed and water, and it seems they are the same when finding a heat source.

There is a 'battery back up' unit that folks use on computers... they may be cost prohibitive (unless you find a yard sale buy) but it would be possible to use one to buy an extra hour or so of heat. If the brooder is insulated some, and the chicks stay put, it should stay warm at least a couple of hours past that. So overall it would add the time needed for the power outage to be caught and corrected under most normal circumstances.
It seems the meaties produce quite a bit of heat themselves, so a group of them under a comfy blanket should be fine for a while...it is the roamers that would potentially run into trouble.

 

[Beekissed]

There is a 'battery back up' unit that folks use on computers... they may be cost prohibitive (unless you find a yard sale buy) but it would be possible to use one to buy an extra hour or so of heat. If the brooder is insulated some, and the chicks stay put, it should stay warm at least a couple of hours past that. So overall it would add the time needed for the power outage to be caught and corrected under most normal circumstances.
It seems the meaties produce quite a bit of heat themselves, so a group of them under a comfy blanket should be fine for a while...it is the roamers that would potentially run into trouble.

Or a person could just wire it into an old car battery and not have to worry at all....but I'm always leery about wiring into car batteries and such.

I think folks would be surprised at how chilly their brooder really is, even with the heat lamp suspended above it...it's WAY above it. The little scooters are everywhere! Happy as can be.

I was wondering about that in my mind...what if a person had an old electric blanket they no longer used and placed it under the bedding of an outside brooder...how neat would that be to have a heated floor? Could flip up one corner to form a hobbit house for the chicks to get into and under, etc. Still would have the same problem when the electric goes off but it sure would be a neat, cheap, recycling kind of way to warm up chicks.