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

[Cowpoke]

Zeo is pretty!!! Thanks for posting!

 

[Beekissed]

for those that want to see fuzzy butts lol







cheers Pete

How in the world did I miss these??? They are good sized and lovely looking chicks! Great color to the legs on those birds! Thank you for posting these pics, Pete. I love to see other people's chicks to see if mine are on par. Yours have enormous big heads!!!! They say that's a good thing and if it is, your chicks have it in spades, Pete.

 

[Cowpoke]

My bantam cochin frizzle just started laying a couple of months ago. I collected her first 15-ish eggs. I opened the first one she laid, and it had a bullseye on the yolk (fertile and fertilized). So, I set the next six she had laid. The first four she laid after the one I ate (no sense in wasting a good egg, no matter how small), they had not developed when I candled at day 7 of incubation. The next two laid had started developing. I candled Wed for day 14, they were fuller and the shadow in them moved like the white was still liquid, but there was no independent movement as if the chick moved or was alive. If you want, I'll update you when I candle on day 18 (Sun), and then they're supposed to hatch next Wed. Just LMK.
Anyway, these are her pullet eggs and I have had almost nothing but failure in hatching, so IDK what will happen with these two; and I won't be setting anymore eggs until May or June, when a friend of mine is going to show me how to do it. She has great success and I'm trying to do what she's been telling me to do, but I'm missing something. I'm so blessed to have a friend like her.
I hope your experiment is working out; I'm working on finding where you've set the next nest here.

Please let us know what you find out from her.

 

[Cowpoke]

my dog killed all but one duck that had just hatched so it wasn't in the brooder

Dang it, I'm so sorry to hear it!

 

[Cowpoke]

Well...back from traveling for the a couple of days. Took the nest with me and it fared well. I used an old fashioned hot water bottle to keep them warm enough, and wouldn't you know it? That thermometer stayed on 100* solid all the way there and all the way back(4 hours up and back)!! I was shocked and I can only attribute that to the hand of God because there is no way I could ever have calculated the water temps and the padding in between to yield that exact temperature. Praise the Lord for helping me transport these chicks!

I was so amazed by that steadiness of temps that I feared the thermometer was malfunctioning, so I took it out and tested it under running water and it was extremely sensitive to the temp changes and monitored them all, so it's working.
And it was a good thing I took them along, as the electric went out while were were gone!

I ALMOST had left them at home, prayed about it, then decided it was best to take them and so it was. They rode well and secure, I candled when I got there to see if all activity was as it was before and it was....dancing eyeballs in there! I saw a few more eggs that may not be developing that I missed but will not be pulling them until I candle officially on the 14.

Now...how many folks can pack their incubator in the back of the car and take their eggs along on trips?

This method is starting to show other bonuses......

These chicks will be well traveled before they ever leave the shell.

Bee, I'm glad your trip went so well! I'm Glad you are back.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, I'm glad your trip went so well! I'm Glad you are back.

Thank you! Me too! I'm kind of sad that my clutch is getting smaller each time I candle now but I guess that's how it goes for everyone now and again. I'm still tickled with having 20 that show development so I'm hoping to have a better hatch this time. Just 12 more days to wait to see if these chicks make it out of the shell.

I just love seeing them flipping around in there and some are more vigorous at it than others. I wonder what plays into that...nutrition? Genetics? Development rate? Or all of these?

 

[Lacy Blues]

I think sometimes we catch them sleeping and others are bouncing on their own personal trampoline!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Okay...couldn't resist candling on day 10 because folks say you can really see the chicks at that stage.  I may be candling too much, which is something I had wanted to avoid but I think I'm addicted a little to seeing those little movements in there.....it's amazing to me!  Can you possibly kill the chicks from handling the eggs too often? 

Removed 5 eggs as quitters.  Two had not been fertilized or hadn't developed past day 2 or 3.  One had a blood ring and was just a busted yolk mess.  One had a white bunch of tissue but nothing formed and couldn't see any eyes.  One looked like it had a spine and maybe had started having eyes but nothing more. 

What I don't know is why these eggs continued to have as good of air cell development as those with viable chicks in them?  I know eggs will have that as they age and as heat is applied but you'd think there would be a halt to it somewhere along the line.  Maybe that's just my thinking. 

Down to 20 eggs now, with only #1&#7 as being questionable as to chick development....couldn't tell much and they sort of looked a little different than the rest but didn't want to crack them in case I was wrong. 

The rest of the eggs have good chick development and seem right on track but only time will tell.  I thanked God for each and every egg that had a chick in it and pray that they will make it to hatch and be healthy, vigorous chicks. 

Well I candled the ones that just hatched everyday sometimes multiple times s day and they hatched just fine. And I intend on candling at least 1 or 2 eggs everyday. I have pictures. And today is day 5 and in all but one I can see eyes and in some I can even see the full embryo. 1 seems to be a day behind the others. BTW I have 10 mixed color Polish.

 

[fisherlady]

Well Bee... another of our broodies hatched last night, she had 5 total... started with 8, one wasn't fertile, 2 quit sometime mid term...

first a few of some of our older chicks out and about with the rest of the flock the other day.

Rosie with a few of hers, and a few of the SPR's hatches in there too

One of our broody hatched roos from last year teaching the next generation how to enjoy some cantaloupe. The chicks belong to the triple broody SPR hatch, that is another broody in the background.

The triple broody SPRs with most of their combined group

One of the Silver Pencil Hens teaching the youngsters about foraging while the other two get in a dust bath nearby

and now Gracie's new additions










Their daddy is a wonderful EE roo who we raised here till he was about 10 or 11 months, he then found a wonderful home at another BYC member's place with a bunch of EE hens to himself. I wanted a few more green egg layers, so recontacted the lady and she was happy to let me visit with him to see how he matured and she was tickled to give us some eggs for Gracie. These are the fluffiest little buggers... he would be proud!

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, my goodness!!! You have broodie heaven at your place!!

How wonderful to see all those mamas and chicks of all different ages and sizes living peaceably together. And that pic of Gracie with the two chicks in the nest is just about precious...and I don't even like a silkie bird...that needs to be in a magazine or entered into the photo contest here on BYC.

Maybe next breeding season I'll buy some of those Penciled Silver Rock eggs from you (if you are selling) to hatch here...they seem like wonderful birds. And they are Rocks, so that makes them tops in my book.

If I can't get my hands on any White Rocks from the place I would like to, maybe you could sell me some eggs this fall? I'd sure like to have a handful of those birds of yours on hand for eggs and for brooding chicks.

Thank you for the wonderful pictures....simply lovely! I wish more folks would do broody hatches and see what it's like to have chicks raised as nature intended.