Well, this has been a stressful hatch. Bought 9 fertile silkie hatching eggs for my broody hen. One had the teeniest scratch on it so tossed that one, just to be safe. Three eggs got cracked. First one by a hen on Day 9, had a chick inside, and tried to seal with wax. But it was weeping badly so tossed that one. Then i cracked one pulling a broody off the nest to check for cracked eggs.
No one was inside that egg, thankfully. Then a couple days ago, there was a three-hen pile up in the nest box and one of the fertile eggs got booted out onto the coop floor. That one does have a chick inside, wasn't weeping, so i sealed it with wax and put it in the incubator.
To prevent further hen mishaps, i tried transferring the primary broody to separate quarters yesterday. In the process, i candled the 5 remaining eggs in the nest. Very surprised to find that only 2 had chicks inside. i know there were more developing 10 days ago, so don't know what happened there. Anyhow, my broody did not want to be in a separate area and starting screaming her head off, and would not sit on the nest.
SO - i decided to take over and put those two remaining eggs in the bator with the cracked one.
Now the bator watch begins. Temps and humidity holding good. i'm hoping at least two hatch.
To prevent further hen mishaps, i tried transferring the primary broody to separate quarters yesterday. In the process, i candled the 5 remaining eggs in the nest. Very surprised to find that only 2 had chicks inside. i know there were more developing 10 days ago, so don't know what happened there. Anyhow, my broody did not want to be in a separate area and starting screaming her head off, and would not sit on the nest.
Now the bator watch begins. Temps and humidity holding good. i'm hoping at least two hatch.
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