Two roosters not doing their job with my 8 hens?

[mychoock]

The roosters are definitely mating the hens--that's what the bald patches are from. I agree with centrarchid that it's possible to have a zero percent hatch on fully fertilized eggs.

Also, give away the birds that you want to get rid of. You don't need to keep birds you don't like out of a sense of honor.

More good advice. I was pretty sure that some mating was going on, as the boys were chasing the girls fairly often. I have done a bit of reading over the last couple days, and it seems that roosters don't need much time to accomplish the actual mating deed.

I really want to get my flock down to a cozier size. I actually just talked to my neighbor tonight, and she is going to take one rooster and three hens, and I suppose that the birds may act differently in their new environment.

 

[angel8035]

More good advice. I was pretty sure that some mating was going on, as the boys were chasing the girls fairly often. I have done a bit of reading over the last couple days, and it seems that roosters don't need much time to accomplish the actual mating deed.

I really want to get my flock down to a cozier size. I actually just talked to my neighbor tonight, and she is going to take one rooster and three hens, and I suppose that the birds may act differently in their new environment.

Just a question...why are you trying to hatch eggs if you want to downsize your flock?

 

[mychoock]

Those are beautiful birds.

Thanks for the compliment. We really like our birds, and except when they moult they are very pretty. When the cold weather comes, they get such fluffy butts.
Here are two pics from last October, the first pic shows a fluffy butt, and the other is one of the hens, showing very typical feathering for this breed.

 

[centrarchid]

When hen hatching eggs I usually do not collect or touch them unless eggs being marked. When hen sets clutch herself it may take 9 to 21+ days for eggs to accumulate and hen to go broody. Once you get beyond 14 days of eggs sitting in nest without incubation the older eggs start to decline in viability. Lower temperature tend to improve longevity where my bast hatches occur in early spring when nest temperatures range 40 to 70 F as eggs accumulate. Normally each time hen visits to lay egg she rolls them about and does come into contact with them. Somehow such activities may improve viabililty of eggs. When I collect, my window is 7 to at most 10 days. My collection methods and certainly incubator are tougher than what a good hen provides.

My birds will set when temperatures get into lower 100's but hatch rate tends to be much lower and chicks can vary more in terms of hatch date causing hen to leave with first chicks before last eggs hatch. Humidity can also be an issue but with hen hatched eggs I do not understand how is affects hatch. Being around soil that is slightly moist seems to be good for hatch rate.

Yes, I have the German Short-haired Pointer and now German Long-haired Pointer as LGD's. Now that large dog threat was eliminated by combined efforts of myself and male, we again enjoy excellent predator control. Building fence to reduce future encursions by very large dogs. As for wildlife, bring it on. The male helps me find chicken nests in pasture since he seems to want to no where they are all located. Both dogs seem partial to wrotten eggs as well. Because of those dogs have not lost a single hen and only three chicks to predators so far this season. I raised a relatively small number of chicks free-range this season (approaching 100) so survival has been pretty good.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

If I want to collect eggs for a broody hen, at what temperature must they be kept, and how long can I store them before putting them under the hen? I collected eggs for two or three days, but now that I think about it, there was likely too much daytime heat, and perhaps too cool at night. Maybe too hot for the hen? But I know hens in hot climates successfully hatch chicks. Hmmm...

We collect eggs for up to seven days. We store them point-down in an egg carton on the kitchen counter, so at room temperature. We do not wash them in any way, and we try very hard not to handle them or move them around much. If your eggs are poopy, clean the nest boxes before collection so there's no poo on the eggs. (you should be doing that anyway). Collect the absolute nicest eggs you have, nothing with a rough shell or those weird wrinkles they sometimes get. Also, an egg that is the average size for the breed of hen seems to hatch best-- a large egg from my red sex link, instead of one of her super jumbos, for example.

I've never hatched my eggs myself, but most of my area schools come to me for hatching eggs for class projects, and they're reporting 90-100% hatches from our eggs.

I wouldn't worry about the temperature right now for hatching the eggs. The hen will keep them the right temperature, and if she's a good mama, she'll keep the babies warm after they hatch, too. Just make sure there's adequate shelter from both the sun and the cold.

 

[mychoock]

Thanks again to both of you, centrarchid and walkingonsunshine. I will bring a more studied approach to the egg-hatching project this time around.

I would like to give my broody hen another chance, so after a careful planning session with my DH I might try again. Although we could easily have snow on the ground in two months. That worries me just a bit for young birds.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Thanks again to both of you, centrarchid and walkingonsunshine. I will bring a more studied approach to the egg-hatching project this time around.

I would like to give my broody hen another chance, so after a careful planning session with my DH I might try again. Although we could easily have snow on the ground in two months. That worries me just a bit for young birds

I think it depends on your facilities. If you're a person who keeps birds in a barn-like structure, I think you'll be OK. If you only have a shelter that the birds need to leave all the time (like a smaller hen house) I'd worry a bit about trying to keep babies warm in the snow before they're fully feathered.

That being said, I've never tried to hatch in the late fall, so this is only a guess.

 

[centrarchid]

I think it depends on your facilities. If you're a person who keeps birds in a barn-like structure, I think you'll be OK. If you only have a shelter that the birds need to leave all the time (like a smaller hen house) I'd worry a bit about trying to keep babies warm in the snow before they're fully feathered.

That being said, I've never tried to hatch in the late fall, so this is only a guess.

I have done it many times and preparing to do again Next brood to hatch will do so in about 9 days and another about 5 weeks later. Such late hatches do not present ideal rearing options for my purposes but chicks can survive very well if extra care taken with nutrition and protecting them direct wind and getting too wet. In my area with hen raised chicks, as temperatures drop hen will have to devote more time to brooding chicks and less to aggressive foraging for chicks. To compensate I make certain quality chick grower is available constantly. By time chicks 5 week old they will be able to resist temperatures down to about 0 F if able to huddle. Normally by five weeks my birds would be roosting off ground but that may be delayed by a couple weeks as chicks continue to pile. With my games delayed use of elevated roost can continue through 12 weeks but I suspect other breeds can go a lot longer. I do not use supplemental heat with hen reared. Care must be taken if hen stops brooding before down on head is replaced by feathers. If that is case, then supplemental heating may be appropriate.

 

[mychoock]

We do have a pretty good coop, insulated enough so that outside temperatures of 0 F means an indoor reading of about 15 F. We usually don't get these temperatures, and colder, until December through March, so by then chicks hatched in the fall would be somewhat feathered, and could be kept in if necessary.

I still think I will wait until spring to try another hatch. Just thinking about those cold temperatures has me shivering.

 

[centrarchid]

Spring hatched chicks will be higher quality. Do you have ability to construct a breeding pen or two where hen(s) will have access to grass as she sets? I like to confine hens singly during broody phase and with rooster only as clutch being layed.