What to do when someone is laying in a clucky box...

[elizabethbinary]

I'm a moron. I KNEW I should've marked the eggs but nooo I thought hey, there's only a few, I'll remember which ones are which.

Except someone else, or maybe the same duck, is laying in the nest - and they're fertile eggs. All of them. Now there's nine.

I'm worried since the hen has been incubating some eggs for a week now and one was plunked in today for her. I wish I had marked them!!! GGAAAHHH I even said I was gonna mark them when there was only two there!

I was thinking of waiting until tonight, candling them and seeing their progress and marking the older ones vs. the newer ones.... but then what? She's already started incubation. Will the poor things still hatch around the same time or will I be placing the last few in an incubator during lockdown?

Mark. Eggs. In. Future. Now I know.

 

[Baralak]

if you candle them tonight you will find the fresh ones easy.. Just pull them.. and of course.. MARK the rest.

 

[elizabethbinary]

I should mention I DO want to hatch out the fresh ones, I just don't want to hatch them with the other eggs in case she gets off them. If I pull them now will they still be viable? Should I put them in an incubator?

Thank you!

 

[Baralak]

Well.. Since you asked.

I would go setup my bator. Get it to temp and humidity. Later tonight candle the eggs, pull the new ones, and mark the others. Then into the bator with the new eggs. Also if she decides to get off the nest with the others, the bator is ready and waiting, you will just have a staggered hatch.

Once all the batored eggs hatch, pop them back under mom if she is still on the job and let her do the rest.

What kinda eggs are they BTW since I noticed you have several different birds.

 

[Judy]

Yup. Remember she'll abandon any unhatched eggs maybe a day or two after the first ones hatch, in order to raise the babies.

There is always a Sharpie stuck in some chicken wire in my coop; that way I never forget to mark eggs.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Ok, I've been watching, hopeing someone else would ask so I didn't have to look stupid askin'... but what's a clucky box?

 

[Baralak]

That's Austrailian for beer...

oh.. I mean nesting or broody box...

Not to worry neighbor (Louisiana here) Chicken speak is universal!

Austrailian - She's flat out like a lizard drinkin with those chooks!

Translation - She is very busy with her chickens.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Oh, ok. Thanks Baralak, I thought that's what it was, just wanted to be sure.

 

[elizabethbinary]

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI!

Sorry about that!!! I use the word 'clucky' to refer to a broody hen!

I love that sentence that's about spot on for some good ol' Aussie bogan conversation, mate!

Thank you baralak I will do that! Appreciate it!


As far as I can tell the eggs are either Muscovy or Blue Swedish but I'm inclined to think Muscovy because I've caught her on the nest but then she got clucky (broody) for a few days on them and then got off again two days ago and that's when the new eggs started to appear... (the hen was always on them but at one point they split the eggs and were both on 3 each). The Musky was definitely clucky though because she was really protective and did that 'weep weep' squeaky noise when I came near them. But now she's off running around with her drake and the Araucana is sitting on them - still.

So they might be blues, Muscovies or mules.

Doesn't matter in the end, they're all destined for the table.

 

[BigIslandChicks]

Quote:

thanks mississippifarmboy i needed a laugh!!

ive had a headache all day and some clucky laughing was just what i needed!!