Wish me luck :(

[scoopy82]

I have made a decision.
My broodie hen is an excellent broodie - but THE WORST mother of all time. She is determined to kill every baby that hatches from her eggs.
I was going to leave the eggs she has left with her in hope that she realises what all the sitting was about, but I am now convinced she will never be a good mother. So in the last 2 days i have finished my home made incubator and intend to move the remaining 8 eggs into it tonight. I dont know if the temperature will be stable enough and is currently a little high, I dont know what the humidity is, but i do know that if i leave them with her it will be certain death for them. I have a little time up my sleave to fiddle with these issues and I have a brooder ready too.
Am I doing the right thing?
She has had 2 goes at hatching her own and the first attempted ended badly - no chicks due to dissapearing eggs and a dead body, and i blamed her friend so for this attempt she was separated. Turns out it is her as well.
Please send your cyber good luck vibes the way of my incubator, and any thoughts or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Two are over due to hatch although i dont know if they are viable, and the others are due Thursday. I can hear tapping in one of the eggs.

 

[magicpigeon]

Awww, good luck!

 

[scoopy82]

Thanks

I have just moved all of the eggs and at least three have a lot of noise going on inside, and i didn't realise until i placed it down but one has pipped. God i hope it will be okay. The incubator is in my ensuite and the temperature is moving between 99-103f, I'm checking it very fequently and have 2 thermometres in there, unfortunately they are reading differently, ones a digital and ones a red bulb type and i wouldn't trust either but really needed a ball park figure. I have no way of measuring the humidity but have put a dish of water in there. I have everything crossed!!!

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Good luck, sounds like they are doing well.

 

[scoopy82]

Thank you, I'm instantly in love with my homemade bator - i can see through the window in the top that 2 of the eggs are rocking and chirping, no pips in either of those 2 yet, but when they do I'll be able to see it

I'm just a little worried about the humidity though, I'm worried that they will all end up shrink wrapped, but at the same time i dont want to drown them, is there any other way to tell if it is humid enough apart from using a hygrometre which i dont currently have? (ordered one from o/s 2 weeks ago and still waiting for it to arrive

great timing NOT). Should the glass be a little foggy or something?

 

[chknmomma]

Sorry about your broody.

Good luck with the next few days!!

 

[scoopy82]

When i left for work this morning there were 3 that had pipped. I desparately hope thats not as far as they get, hopefully the temperature holds and when i get home i will have several healthy little chicks waiting for me!

 

[chickendude1]

Some broodies are good some arent. It depends on how good of a hen you got. Good luck with your hatch though

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I had a broodie like yours. She broke most of the eggs - all with viable chicks inside. ONE hatched and she aggressively rejected that one after about 2 weeks. Motherhood just wasn't her calling. I now have an incubator and raise the babies in the house until they are old enough to fend for themselves with the flock.