So I am getting Serama eggs Friday. I was just going to put them straight in the incubater but I now have 2 broody silkies. They have hatched out 1 set of eggs but aren't as reliable as I would like with my first set of Seramas. I wouldn't hesitate to put them straight in the incubator but it is cheap and well... I got what I paid for lol. I have increasingly better hatch rates with the bator but for some reason anything I put in the left side of the bator never hatches.. coincidence maybe, but an odd coincidence.
As if I weren't torn enough, when I was moving my broodies to their seperate pen today getting ready for the Serama eggs I was contemplating giving them. I found almost 20 eggs under them!!! I was guessing there was about 6. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that some of my pullets have started laying because they have never saved up that many eggs before. (I only have 3 hens, but I have quite a few pullets.)
This wrecks my plans because I was just going to give all of the Seramas I got Friday and put them under one hen and give the rest to the other. There is no way 1 hen can set all of those eggs by herself. If I put them in the Incubator I wouldn't know when they were due and when to lock them down. I wanted to hatch these eggs out so I don't just want to throw them away. I also would rather take my chances putting the Seramas under the broody and not take my chances incubating them.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Could I incubate the Seramas until the others start hatching and then just switch them out? The hens haven't been on the eggs long, so it wouldn't be but about an extra week on eggs. Will it hurt either batch of eggs taking them from a hen/bator and putting them under/in a bator/hen?
So if you weren't completely confused by all that lol, any advice would help.
As if I weren't torn enough, when I was moving my broodies to their seperate pen today getting ready for the Serama eggs I was contemplating giving them. I found almost 20 eggs under them!!! I was guessing there was about 6. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that some of my pullets have started laying because they have never saved up that many eggs before. (I only have 3 hens, but I have quite a few pullets.)
This wrecks my plans because I was just going to give all of the Seramas I got Friday and put them under one hen and give the rest to the other. There is no way 1 hen can set all of those eggs by herself. If I put them in the Incubator I wouldn't know when they were due and when to lock them down. I wanted to hatch these eggs out so I don't just want to throw them away. I also would rather take my chances putting the Seramas under the broody and not take my chances incubating them.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Could I incubate the Seramas until the others start hatching and then just switch them out? The hens haven't been on the eggs long, so it wouldn't be but about an extra week on eggs. Will it hurt either batch of eggs taking them from a hen/bator and putting them under/in a bator/hen?
So if you weren't completely confused by all that lol, any advice would help.
