Test Hatch with PaulaJoAnne's eggs!! PIP!!

[PaulaJoAnne]

Get this!
I have another broody.
I put her in the kennel, and she is quite tickled with the situation.
The plan is, to make sure she is in total darkness, during our trip down to get the chicks.
We will try and pull a switch on her when we get back.
30 odd chicks is alot, but having a mother hen will really help them out for sure.
We will make sure she has a small lamp as well. Just a regular bulb though, so no fire danger.

 

[BirdBrain]

Wow! What great timing!! Maybe by the time you pick up the chicks someone else will be broody too and they can share the duty. Do you think she will have been broody long enough to accept them? I guess chickens can't tell tine, but I just wondered.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
Only one way to find out

You should see the nest she made for herself!
She has a pile of straw heaped up around her.
And she is being a good girl, and getting up and eating and drinking on her own, unlike the last one.

 

[BirdBrain]

How long has she been broody?

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
She has been fussing around in "her" nest box for at least 4 days, and I brought her in to the kennel last night.
I gave her two tiny eggs that I am sure are not going to do anything.
So, I guess "her" chicks will hatch a week early

Hope she does not go insane with that many to look after....

 

[BirdBrain]

I'm sure she will be a dutiful mother. I don't think chickens can count but she's bound to think something strange is up when she is surrounded by so many. You'll have to take pictures.

I went to a local feed store here in South Anchorage but they didn't have small bags of chick starter. I guess I'll go down to Alaska Mill and Feed this week and get a 10 # bag. The kids are getting excited to see them hatch. I wrote their numbers big on the sides of the eggs so the kids could follow who was hatching and note the differences in the breeds. Since you'll know who is who I won't try to separate them in the incubator.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
Let us now how much the food will be.
Are you thinking Sunday might be a better day for pick up?
We get done with church in Palmer around 3 or so, so that would put us in Anchorage after 4.

 

[BirdBrain]

No, I would really like to hand them off to you Friday morning if possible as chickens aren't my DH's thing and he is going to have the boys to himself this weekend when my DD and I are off on the ladies retreat. I was just planning for contingencies. I thought it would be good to have some feed on hand incase they decide to hatch late and my DH and boys need to care for them until Sunday. I am still praying for a synchronized hatch on Thursday night so we will see how the Lord answers

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:

Praying right along with you.
And have a fabulous time at Solid Rock.

 

[BirdBrain]

I candled and weighed the eggs yesterday. I had one that had quit around day 7-8 I think. Then there was another that I am not sure if it quit or not. I did not see well defined veins but there seemed to be enough dark in there to leave it for anough few days until hatch. I set it separate in a section of carton. It did not smell so I think we are okay. Two others were too dark to tell anything about them. The Australorp is still going strong so I have high hopes for it. There were a couple eggs that I could see toes in. It was so fun to see.

When I weighed them on day 17 there were only three that had gotten to the 11% loss level. The rest are sort of spread evenly between 7-10% with one outlier at 5.26%. I do not understand why there is such a range except that this may just be a difference in shell porosity. Humity was kept between 30-40 with an occasional dip into the 20s. I have bumped up humidity to 60-70 for these last days. I found a great way to increase humidity. I was looking for a sponge and instead came across a small humidifier filter replacement. It has lots of surface area and tears easily.

I'll update when we start seeing pips.