Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

OK, read LaSombra post, so exactly why will an egg shrink wrap from a bator but not from under a broody hen and if your humidity is so high (like running the hot shower and candling eggs in the bathroom) will they not shrink wrap in the humid bathroom but they can shrink wrap in a humid , hot kitchen...what exactly causes the shrink wrap ?
Cold causes the membrane to harden and shrink ?

 

[KMHunter]

Quote:
Do you have her seperate form the other chickens? If I put a few fertile eggs under my broody, would I have to take her out and put her in a seperate pen? What do you do when they hatch? I am contemplating this, I just need more info as to what it takes to let a broody hatch eggs. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[LaSombra]

Well, momma hen will naturally leave her eggs every day to eat/stretch/poo/drink so candling them can be done for the same reason. I think the reason why you should be worried with incubated eggs is that when you open the bator to candle, the humidity will be let out and it will take too long to get back to where it was. Momma naturally is humid close to her body.

I have mine in a big plastic bin (I think 50 gallons?) $10 from walmart. There's plenty of room in there for a food and water dish separate from the nest. I had her in a regular nest her last hatch (in January) and she didn't want anything to do with the chicks so I cared for them in a brooder. I had a lot of problems with other chickens interfering with the hatch and lost several eggs because of it. This time, I didn't want to take any chances and have her separate. I have 2 coops now and she's in the new one with all my brooding chicks (the chicks aren't able to get in with her either). Once the chicks are big enough, I'll take her and the chicks out of the bin and let them have a corner of the coop or something so they can have their area with a nest, if needed.

 

[LaSombra]

Quote:
When they poke through the air cells, they're doing the first step of hatching. They're due late tomorrow. They'll probably pip later today or tomorrow morning. Once they break through the air cell, they start working on the shell. It takes a while for them to get that first pipped shell. If you candle them just before they pip, you can actually see the little cracks starting from the inside of the shell as it's weakening. It's a lot of work for the little chicks!

Also, once they've broken through the air cell, you can start to hear them peeping and if you hold the egg up to your ear, you can hear them knocking on the shell. It's so exciting. All of this, you can't experience with an incubator since it should be on lockdown, but if you have a trusting momma hen that lets you see her eggs...

 

[T Hi]

Quote:
Would you be willing to depart with a couple of your runner babies if they hatch this weekend??!!!'

' It is going to be a nice weekend for a drive! Let me know!'

'

 

[L0rraine]

Quote:
Would you be willing to depart with a couple of your runner babies if they hatch this weekend??!!!'

' It is going to be a nice weekend for a drive! Let me know!'

'

They could've come as early as this weekend, but I'm thinking it's going to be another couple of days (I'm starting to think my ducks weren't really 'sitting' on them 28 days ago, maybe just spending more time by the nest and 'thinking' about getting serious

). Anyway the eggs still look viable, but no pips or peeping yet. I'll keep you posted. Though they have gone into that mode where they are hardly leaving their nests for any reason. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Cackling Hen]

Quote:
Would you be willing to depart with a couple of your runner babies if they hatch this weekend??!!!'

' It is going to be a nice weekend for a drive! Let me know!'

'

They could've come as early as this weekend, but I'm thinking it's going to be another couple of days (I'm starting to think my ducks weren't really 'sitting' on them 28 days ago, maybe just spending more time by the nest and 'thinking' about getting serious

). Anyway the eggs still look viable, but no pips or peeping yet. I'll keep you posted. Though they have gone into that mode where they are hardly leaving their nests for any reason. I'll keep you posted.

HI L0rraine How is the Buff Silkie doing? They are almost a year old April 16th Wow

 

[RonB]

What about me ?

No coffee ?

KMHunter
I offered to take your place on vacation

But you declined

So my sick chicken ate all your mealworms

BTW my daughter gave them to her.

When that sick chicken starts laying again, her eggs will be $10.50 for a bakers dozen

So line up people. They will go fast

 

[jbear]

Quote:
Oh Yay--it will be fun to meet you at Stevenson as well..

All of our chickens are in the youth show.. We might be interested in your partridges? you can PM me if you'd like. Sorry it took a bit to catch up on all the board here, we were out of town for Easter. It doesn't take long to get behind! lol!

I also am thinking of selling our white cochin pair. I just don't want to do white--anyone want white cochins?? The hen is a nice frizzle and the rooster is not frizzle.

They are entered in the show though, so they have to do their 'job' first and sit pretty.

 

[TheReidHomestead]

I have a Welsummer cockeral that I hatched from eggs I received from JamesA on Feb 27, which makes him nearly 6 wks old. I am looking to trade him if anyone is interested? I have a PM into James to find out what line he is from, and will post that as soon as I hear back. Unfortunately, he was the only Wellie to hatch, so I really don't have any use for him. Here's some photos:

We would like in trade, any of the following:

LF Pullet: Welsummer, Splash variety of a Maran, Ameraucana or Cochin, Golden Cuckoo Maran
Bantam Pullet: Blue Mottled or Splash Cochin

Would also consider trading for 6 hatching eggs: In any of the breeds listed above, especially if you have a splash x splash pen in any of those breeds.

I plan to get the bator going again late next week, so let me know what you have to offer if you are interested but don't have any of the above breeds!

Thanks much!
Tamara

PS: I am in Monroe, and will be driving down to Longview sometime next week, so I am willing to deliver him along the I-5 corridor if needed.