The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[debs_flock]

Wow, thats a large rafter of Turkeys! Hate meeting them on the road though, they don't like to move

I saw a flock like that the other day on my way home from. work.

It was huge, and those were what I could count on the lawn side of the fence. Not sure if there were more in the brush on the pasture side.

 

[ozexpat]

Well the first Official hatching in my new home made incubator is going great. I have 7 hatch-lings so far. For your viewing pleasure.






Yes I am anal retentive with thermometers!

I love that bator. I am building one that will look rather similar.

Now... anal retentive and thermometers... be careful, you gave me a nasty mental picture.

 

[DURR]

Is there a way you can test for broodiness? I have one hen in by herself with a rooster, could I place a few more eggs in her nest to see if she'll set?

 

[Jessshan8]

I have a broody!!

Now the next question from a Newbie.... will she sit until the eggs all hatch? she has been in the nest for 2 weeks or so, i finally left her two eggs of her own the other day... just to see if she in fact is going to stay with them. so far so good. IF i give her eggs that i want to hatch for the easter hatch... will she stay that long on the nest? its 9 days away.. OR will she give up if they dont hatch around 21 days.....

One thing I would recommend is seperating her from the rest of the flock if you can. It has been my experiance that if you have a broody hen she might get kicked off the nest by another hen who is simply wanting to lay an egg. they tend to be community layers and will lay an egg the same place another hen just did and I often see two hens in the same nest trying to lay at the same time. If she gets pushed off the nest she will simply find some more eggs to sit on. A broody doesn't care she simply want to set eggs to hatch. I hope this helps.

 

[CayuseRanch]

I wish there was a way to make hens go broody but my experience is always when I want a broody there are none, then when Im not looking to hatch any more I have 12 broodies. When one goes they all go. You can set several eggs (mark them) and let them set there for a week and see if she starts sitting on them, but for me that hasn't taken hold yet...I still try it though every year.

Someone was asking earlier about how long a hen will set. I believe a hen will set until something hatches. I had a broody I could not get to kick the habit last fall that sat for almost 3 months. I finally took pity on her and gave her some eggs. Which she then hatched out and of course away went the broodiness. You can't successfully stagger a hatch with a broody though. If the first couple of eggs hatch and the rest arent due for a week then she is going to abandon those eggs thinking they were bad or not going to hatch. Hope that make sense.

 

[Jessshan8]

Is there a way you can test for broodiness? I have one hen in by herself with a rooster, could I place a few more eggs in her nest to see if she'll set?

Try putting some fake eggs in there with her in the nest. A broody hen in unmistakable, she will be hunkered down (flattening herself down over the eggs) and not be willing to move from the nest. She may even try (more likely than not) to bite and yell at you if you go near her to take eggs from under her.

 

[DURR]

I wish there was a way to make hens go broody but my experience is always when I want a broody there are none, then when Im not looking to hatch any more I have 12 broodies. When one goes they all go.  You can set several eggs (mark them) and let them set there for a week and see if she starts sitting on them, but for me that hasn't taken hold yet...I still try it though every year.

Someone was asking earlier about how long a hen will set. I believe a hen will set until something hatches. I had a broody I could not get to kick the habit last fall that sat for almost 3 months. I finally took pity on her and gave her some eggs.  Which she then hatched out and of course away went the broodiness.  You can't successfully stagger a hatch with a broody though. If the first couple of eggs hatch and the rest arent due for a week then she is going to abandon those eggs thinking they were bad or not going to hatch.  Hope that make sense.

One thing I would recommend is seperating her from the rest of the flock if you can. It has been my experiance that if you have a broody hen she might get kicked off the nest by another hen who is simply wanting to lay an egg. they tend to be community layers and will lay an egg the same place another hen just did and I often see two hens in the same nest trying to lay at the same time. If she gets pushed off the nest she will simply find some more eggs to sit on. A broody doesn't care she simply want to set eggs to hatch. I hope this helps.

Ok, she is by herself with a rooster if she don't go broody I think he will lol!! Nah but I'll just leave her eggs in there and hopefully after she has a few gathered up she'll lay. If not I'll toss'em in the bator.

 

[Shellz]

Beacuse of pasture improvement, dams and such, there are more roos now than there where when the English decided it was a good place to toss their excess prisoners (my great x 6 grand pappy was a convict from Ireland)

Wow, Oz, you're so cool! I never knew that about kangaroos. Very interesting!

 

[ozexpat]

Wow, Oz, you're so cool! I never knew that about kangaroos. Very interesting!

I have loads of useless facts stored in my oversized head - but growing up on a sheep farm in Oz taught me a thing or two.

 

[wolftracks]

tadpole98, that was the prize for the last hatch along don't remember who won it, but it wasn't me

, but I do have a brinsea 20 eco and I love it.

Well the first Official hatching in my new home made incubator is going great. I have 7 hatch-lings so far. For your viewing pleasure.






Yes I am anal retentive with thermometers!

I wish there was a way to make hens go broody but my experience is always when I want a broody there are none, then when Im not looking to hatch any more I have 12 broodies. When one goes they all go. You can set several eggs (mark them) and let them set there for a week and see if she starts sitting on them, but for me that hasn't taken hold yet...I still try it though every year.

Someone was asking earlier about how long a hen will set. I believe a hen will set until something hatches. I had a broody I could not get to kick the habit last fall that sat for almost 3 months. I finally took pity on her and gave her some eggs. Which she then hatched out and of course away went the broodiness. You can't successfully stagger a hatch with a broody though. If the first couple of eggs hatch and the rest arent due for a week then she is going to abandon those eggs thinking they were bad or not going to hatch. Hope that make sense.

Send them to my house. Last year I had no less than 10 broodies. One even flew into the neighbors yard (Third year in a row, but usually just brought the chicks home) and laid eggs in an beatup Pepsi carton in their garbage heap. My grand daughter carried her home in that flimsy box and she made such a fuss when I tried to move her, that I stuck carton and all into a dog crate.