Tips for newbies. Everyone join in! :)

[Irishgirl]

To help keep water clean and prevent coccsidiosis, add 1/8th of a teaspoon of bleach per quart to your chicken's water.

 

[silkielover2444]

I've never hatched eggs. I'd like to try it when my chicks start to lay eggs. We have an australorp and people say they are broody so I would love to buy some fertilized eggs for her to adopt.

 

[Cinnylove]

my austrolorps do wonderful..one hen got broody and i left her sit..i decided not to bother her at all and finally on day 21 i moved her to look..OF COURSE i was curious, right?!?! WELL, someone else was laying on her nest while she got up to eat so she was sitting on 18!!!!! Yes, 18, so i broke them cause there was way too many to keep warm..sadly there was 2 nice sized peeps in 2 eggs :,( SAD! So make sure they dont have more then 8-10 eggs at a time so they can all stay warm good luck!!

 

[PrairieRidge]

I just started a new thread asking for expert advice and then found your threat, thanks!

 

[KaysKoop]

I have a banty that laid our first egg. I want her to raise little ones but she does,t sit on it. It's cold now in the 40's but wind chill 31. Do i take up the egg or let it stay and hope she or others-3- lay more and sit on them? Yes I have a rooster! Thanks.

 

[sundayafternoon]

I have a banty that laid our first egg. I want her to raise little ones but she does,t sit on it. It's cold now in the 40's but wind chill 31. Do i take up the egg or let it stay and hope she or others-3- lay more and sit on them? Yes I have a rooster! Thanks.

KaysKoop you can't make her be broody and want to sit on eggs no matter how hard you try. If she isn't sitting on the nest for the majority of the day she isn't broody. Not all hens will be broody. What kind of banty hen is she? My Rhode Island Red banty hens are good at being broody for me.

You would know if she is broody if she sits in the nest box and refuses to come out, puffs up her feathers and growls at you.

Also, this is just my opinion, but if it is her very first egg I wouldn't try to hatch it. A lot of people think they need a little while to get "regular" and the first few eggs can have lots of different kinds of issues like no yolks at all or double yolks. I would let her practice for a week at least.

If you want to try and save a few fertile eggs to put under a broody later I would suggest collecting them and storing them in an egg carton fat side up. People say keep them at "room temp" so I would just set them out of the way on the counter. I would worry about them freezing if it gets that cold outside. The longer you store them the less viable they become but I think you can save them for about a week to 10 days.

 

[PrairieRidge]

Thanks for your tips they are greatly appreciated!

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Very good Volkova! Pretty much how I've done it since my teen years, and I've hardly ever lost I chick!

 

[Volkova]

Oh, I remembered something I read once and I've managed to find it out for those considering whether to incubate or use a broody hen:

""While hens are naturally able to incubate and hatch out eggs well, artificial incubation done correctly leads to a much more successful hatch rate:

Average Broodiness Hen (General breeds) : 20% - 60% hatch rate from eggs. A cheap option. Stores 6-8 eggs
Broody Specific Hen (e.g. Silkie/Bantam) : 50% - 70% hatch rate from eggs. A good option for a safe hatch with chicks from fertile eggs guaranteed. Stores 4-6 eggs.
Basic, homemade incubator : 0% - 80% hatch rate from eggs. Homemade incubators tend to have some faults and 0% hatch rate if not operated properly. Stores 10+ eggs
Industry Incubators (e.g Brinsea) : 0% - 100% hatch rate from eggs. 0% Hatch rate if not operated correctly, but good for a maximum hatch rate. Stores 20-50+ and 500+ eggs

Costs

- Broody hens are cheaper per hatch. (Food, Water vs Equipment and Power)
- BUT, artificial incubators are more efficient at hatching and cost less after 2/3 repeated hatches.""

So, if you cannot decide whether to incubate artificially or naturally, consider: How many eggs do you want to hatch? Will I be hatching again or is it just this once?

Personally, I find artificial incubators are so much better than the hen, sometimes they give up and walk off, which, after several weeks, is kind of annoying.
But, it requires time and effort to take care of your incubator, consistent monitoring of temperature and humidity, risk of power cuts etc. You only need to provide the hen a dark, comfy area, safety, food, water and that's it.

^^ Just some more advice for those who want to hatch some chicks out. (Taken from 'Keeping Chickens and Getting the Best From Them')

 

[KaysKoop]

My bantys are a mixed breed I think but they have beautiful feathers as I flyfish and tie my own flys. I bought them just to watch and raise little ones for the grandchildren to enjoy. Thanks all for the info and you answered my questions as I wanted to know how to save eggs until I had a broody hen or a way to hatch them. So they will save at room temp for about a week or ten days without turning or anything?