Nearly time....

chadspad · Post: # 64896Post **chadspad** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:19 am

for my first lot of chicken to hatch! Do I have to get to them before the other chickens do and will they harm them if not? Do I have to separate mother and babies? If so, for how long? Will she feed them or do I have to get special feed? For how long? Etc etc etc lol. Very excited!!

flower · Post: # 65319Post **flower** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:13 am

never done it myself but as I understand it, if they are being hatched by a broody hen, she will protect and rear them.
All you need to do is ensure they have a safe environment (marbles in the water bowl, no holes that they can get thru but mum can't follow, nowhere to get their little leggys caught)

lucky you

Mare Owner · Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:41 am

We just had 10 chicks hatch from a broody hen. She leads them all around the yard, pecking and scratching. Toward evening she ushers them all back to her nest and sits on them all night again.

If they have plenty of space I wouldn't worry about them. If they are penned in a smaller area with lots of chickens, watch them and see how they do. If they are getting pushed around too much, remove them and rear them yourself.

chadspad · Post: # 65346Post **chadspad** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:11 am

Thanks for your answers. Hadnt thought of marbles in the water - thats a handy tip! I have since cornered off a large area to put the Mum and chicks in as her nestbox is up high and I dont see the little uns being able to get back in there. I would also hate anything to happen to them so better safe than sorry I reckon.

nessnco · Post: # 65465Post **nessnco** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:41 pm

Excuse my ignorance but why are marbles being put in the water?

Millymollymandy · Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:50 am

I think it's so they can't drown if they fall in the water bowl, but they can still drink from it.

I found a drowned mouse in my chooks water bowl once, which made me really sad.

chadspad · Post: # 65822Post **chadspad** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 10:19 am

It would appear that my cockerel is firing blanks as it is 24 days now and the eggs havent hatched

Feel sorry for the hen as she is looking very hot and tired from not moving for over 3 weeks. Is there any chance they would be later hatching?

possum · Post: # 65826Post **possum** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 10:40 am

I would try putting an egg in water, if it floats the egg is rotten, if sinks but lies vertically then not rotten but not fertilised.

flower · Post: # 65865Post **flower** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 4:59 pm

or google egg candling (you can shine a torch thru them to see there's a chick inside) although....from what I've read, it's unlikely

two days before hatching they start making audible cheep cheep noises apparently.
However....I would hang in there a wee bit longer because my chook chucked the eggs out of the nest when she was certain they wouldn't hatch. If your girl's still sitting maybe she knows something we don't

Woodburner · Fri Jul 20, 2007 5:58 pm

possum wrote:I would try putting an egg in water, if it floats the egg is rotten, if sinks but lies vertically then not rotten but not fertilised.

I'm pretty sure they're supposed to float and jiggle a bit if they're developing.

Thurston Garden · Fri Jul 20, 2007 6:01 pm

How are you getting on? My first attempt failed, and I am having a second go now.....just set the eggs on Wednesday.

It's a worrying time that's for sure, so I hope things work out.

ohareward · Post: # 65886Post **ohareward** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:35 pm

Here are some incubation periods for certain species:
Chicken- 21 days
Duck- 28
Muscovy 33-37
Turkey 28
Goose 30-32

Eggs are normally candled 3 days prior to hatching, at which time the infertiles are removed. Candling is done in a dark room using a special light. (A strong torch will do). The fertile eggs will permit light only through the large, or air-cell, end of the egg. The rest of the egg will be black or very dark. Eggs may be candled earlier in the incubation period: At 72 hours, the early fertiles will have the typical blood vessel formation, looking much like a spider.
After the eggs hatch, leave the young birds in the incubator for about 12 hours until they are dried and fluffy. Young chicks can survive for 72 hours without food or water, but the sooner they are put feed and water, the better.
There is a long list of problems as to why chicks don't hatch healthily.

Robin

Mare Owner · Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:46 am

No advice, but I hope the hen works it out. We have three free ranging hens and so far only have chicks from one (but one of our dogs likes to go egg collecting and has disturbed the other two, they had to re-start).

chadspad · Post: # 66029Post **chadspad** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:29 pm

Its day 26 and as there were no sounds or movement coming from the eggs we cracked open one - it was just an egg

We remoived them all and checked them but they were all the same. Feel sorry for her as shes spent all that time on there, with no breast feathers left, no eating properly and even tho we have removed the eggs shes still sitting there. Maybe next time........

Thurston Garden · Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:36 pm

It's very disappointing isn't it.... I am on my second attempt, albeit with an incubator.

I understand that the broody looses her breast feathers to keep the eggs at the correct temp and humidity. I have no idea how long she will sit for - perhaps someone else will know.

Were thy your own eggs? If so, I would be tempted to let her have another go? Assuming she has access to food and water as she pleases then she should be ok?