The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[Amer]

I have a really determined broody. AmeraucanaxDominique bantam cross. Named Starling.
She hatched eggs without my consent. If I’d known she wanted eggs I could give her some from my bantam pens, but nooooo she had to sneak off and hatch her own. The nest was discovered the day she hatched them. Eventually, she had 10 and decided that was enough, abandoning the not-yet-hatched eggs.
Well, we had a 4-H event coming up and decided to allow kids to handle her chicks for fun and put “free chicks” on the box. She didn’t like watching them get picked up, but handled it surprisingly well. Eventually, a family decided to take them home.
She returned home chickless. She was very angry for a while then went back to her nest and hatched a couple more chicks.
I thought she was just abandoning those eggs, but it turns out she just had a “plan b” in mind in case I tried to take those chicks. Hen is just two steps ahead of me, smh.
It’s no wonder.
Her mother Zealand went to the same lengths to procure her. It’s no wonder Starling would turn out the same.

 

[WallyG74]

Not much. Most are late day 20 through early day 21.
I have one pen that seems every week starts about 1 day earlier then all the rest.

Same

 

[WallyG74]

Does anybody have chicks hatching absurdly early?

You said it was too hot to be hatching in the summer.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You said it was too hot to be hatching in the summer.

I think he just said he hated doing it. Not that he would stop

 

[WallyG74]

I think he just said he hated doing it. Not that he would stop

Kinda like I said I was done this year, but I just gave my broody bunch 6 more eggs. It’s been 3 days now and the 3rd girl stopped laying and joined the party

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Kinda like I said I was done this year, but I just gave my broody bunch 6 more eggs. It’s been 3 days now and the 3rd girl stopped laying and joined the party

Same. Just sent 18 eggs with my incubator to a friend's house cause she needed to borrow it and said she would incubate mine as well.

 

[ColtHandorf]

It's been 94° - 97° quite a bit here. I think we've had one day below 90°.
Egg production has dropped and hatch rate has too. I don't think it's good on the eggs in that heat before I get them collected.
If you're over 100° yours might be starting soon after they're laid. Are you storing them for a while before starting them?

I'm being bad and leaving them out there for days before gathering them. If I'm out there and get them, they are stored a max of one week and then set. My fertility hasn't been bad. Which is surprising. Muscovy and Orpingtons are fertile. Sicilian Buttercups and Araucanas are overly fertile. Seramas are hit and miss.

You said it was too hot to be hatching in the summer.

It is. But I have a sale in September, so I wanted to have some stuff to bring.

Kinda like I said I was done this year, but I just gave my broody bunch 6 more eggs. It’s been 3 days now and the 3rd girl stopped laying and joined the party

I broke all the Orpingtons up. They've lost their minds if they think they can handle being in a stuffy nest box. I have two broody Sicilian Buttercups, though, and they are like dragon queens. They won't get off the nest and bite hard and hold on.

 

[WallyG74]

I'm being bad and leaving them out there for days before gathering them. If I'm out there and get them, they are stored a max of one week and then set. My fertility hasn't been bad. Which is surprising. Muscovy and Orpingtons are fertile. Sicilian Buttercups and Araucanas are overly fertile. Seramas are hit and miss.

It is. But I have a sale in September, so I wanted to have some stuff to bring.

I broke all the Orpingtons up. They've lost their minds if they think they can handle being in a stuffy nest box. I have two broody Sicilian Buttercups, though, and they are like dragon queens. They won't get off the nest and bite hard and hold on.

I have one BC that’s like that. I have to put leather gloves on when I check her nest.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I have one BC that’s like that. I have to put leather gloves on when I check her nest.

They are sitting beside each other, and they both reached out and nabbed me the other day. One had the skin between my fingers, and the other one had my forearm. I can't wait to see how crazy they are with chicks. They let the Mars Bar and Chocolate Imposter push them around usually. I think with chicks, they may find the odds in their favor for a coup.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They are sitting beside each other, and they both reached out and nabbed me the other day. One had the skin between my fingers, and the other one had my forearm. I can't wait to see how crazy they are with chicks. They let the Mars Bar and Chocolate Imposter push them around usually. I think with chicks, they may find the odds in their favor for a coup.

I've got a chocolate pheonix hen that likes to grab, twist and thrash if I linger too long making sure her eggs are under her. Great auntie, hoping she works our as a mom this time