Chicken experts, please

[Jo]

Today is day 22 of my little broody bantam sitting on some supposedly fertile eggs. The books say 21 days until hatching. Do I give up hope please?

Next question: if I separate her from the eggs, will I be able to just put her back in the run with the others? Will she have trouble coping with being parted from her eggs AND being at the bottom of the pecking order again? Will she just slot back into her old place in the pecking order? (Number One hen is a vicious little monster but a good layer.) I had expected that my broody would be living in a separate run with her chicks from now on...

I have to admit to big disapointment. I need to learn not to count my chickens before they are hatched.....

Thanks for your advice

Jo

[Camile]

Hi Jo,

I think they can take of to a couple of extra days.

The question is: didn't you candlelight them about 1 week after she was broody ? because that would have told you if the eggs were fertile and alive.

Also, when close to hatch, you should be able to hear the chicks inside.

As for the pecking order .. clearly don't know ..

Good luck.
Camile

[Wormella]

Not quite on topic, but can this smiley be added to the SSF collection

[nick]

are they your own eggs or did you get them from someone else?

if the eggs are fertile, they can take up to a week / week and a bit to hatch.

[Jo]

Nick - do you mean that eggs hatched by a broody can take a week or so longer to hatch than in an incubator? My book says 21 days to hatch. Books are useful but nothing beats advice from somebody who has been there before you.

HOWEVER.....

Today is day 25. I decided that she would have to be cleaned out so I could move the addled eggs. There were several chicks that did not make it out of the shell and were dead. And one that hatched this morning. And is alive. There was no cheeping until I moved Mum. To say that I'm thrilled is the understatement of the year!

The chick has obviously not read the hatching instructions in my book on keeping hens. Mind you, my first baby had not read my 'new mum' books either...

Jo

[nick]

for your new chick. hope it does well.

can give a bit better answer today as I don't have a 2 yo helper trying to type at the same time.

in an incubator erverything is controlled - the humidity, the turning of the eggs and the temperature. as long as the eggs are fertile they have a high chance of hatching.

with a hen, it is up to her to turn the eggs, keep the eggs warm and the weather to supply the humidity.
with the hens that I have set, I have found the best results (amount of chicks hatched) are with 6 - 8 normal chook eggs.
the last lot of chickens hatched (5 out of 6) on day 24 and that was under a hen that I often use as a broody.

[Jo]

Thanks Nick (and Camile).

Cheep (our family always uses such original names!) is still hanging in there and is very, very cute. I hope to goodness it is a 'she'. If it turns out to be a 'he' I will not be popular with the neighbours. We live in the suburbs of a city. When we were hoping for several chicks to hatch, my husband had decided that any males would end up as our first home produced dinners - a trial run to see if we could actually do it. However if our first ever chick turns out to be a male, I'm going to have problems with my husband's intentions.

Thanks again for the advice

Jo

[Jo]

Rushed out this morning to check up on our little chick this morning before going to work - and there it was all of a heap. The broody isn't very happy.

Maybe I'll do better next time.

Jo

[Olive]

awww - sad news Jo.

I have eggs ordered for next tuesday - 25 plus another couple of dozen we are getting from market....

Only prob is I'm not sure the incubator is up to it! Arggggh

[Jo]

Thanks Olive. I had hoped that we were getting somewhere because it was just about 4 days old so I thought that meant it was learning to eat and drink. Never mind. Maybe it would be easier for now just to buy some more hens at point of lay and try again next year. Fertile eggs are a bit scarce round here.

Hope yours do well. You are bound to do better than me because you'll have so many more eggs - and an incubator, not a first time mum broody bantam.

Don't forget to let us have progress reports.

Jo

[nick]

Don't give up. our first lot of chickens all started hatching out before they were fully developed. the one chicken we got was squashed by the hen because she was a heavy sitter. the second round we got 3 chickens (all roosters )

as the hens go broody, give them some eggs to set on if you have the space. different weather conditions will play a part. wait until the hen has set on the nest for a few nights and then get some eggs.

[Jo]

Maybe next year we'll try again with letting a broody bantam sit on some eggs. I've taken the easy way out and gone and bought some point-of-lay Warrens for now.

Thanks for all the advice, though. I really appreciate the friendly and helpful people round here.

Jo