0-50 in under a week!

[Peebels]

Right well, over the past couple of months I have assisted in the erecting of a nice large fully covered run down on the allotment. (By assisted I mean that I dug a trench and held some wood whilst my farther in law built the thing) This constructing is intended to be the first of several and has been built to house 4 wee chickens. To get me started I got four ex-bats who are settling in very nicely.

To fill the other four places I thought i would take a wee trip down to the allotments resident poultry expert to see what he had. I couple of conversations later and no doubt owing to my over enthusiasm and complete lack of ability to recognise when I am taking on a massive challenge; I now have a spare room with an ‘on-loan’ incubator complete with 52 eggs! The eggs are positive pik’a’mix of several different flocks on the allotments. I still don’t know exactly what I have yet but I know there are Pekins, Marians, Rhodies and Sussex to name but a few.

Three weeks has never seamed such a long time!!! Eeeek! ☺

I made the mistake however, of candling some of the eggs before I put them in, just to get a base line. I had a quick look and the net and most of my eggs appear to look like the one on the third row down, right hand side of this site

Candling Pictures by The Easy Chicken for beginners

I don’t think they are as speckley as the one on the site, but they do have a speckledness too them! Is this a bad thing?

Anyway, wish me luck!

Peebs

[MaureenHall]

Wow!!!! Well done you for getting some ex-batts

If you candled the eggs before about 10 days, it's doubtful if you'll be able to tell whether they're viable or duds. I know on that site it says you can do it at 3 days, but unless you really know what you're looking for, I wouldn't bother, I'd wait till day 14 I think. Hope you do get a good hatch though

[Peebels]

If i got only one out of it all i would be made up! I have really got my fingers crossed for a pekin! I love pekins!

[bluemoon]

50!!!!!!!!! Blinking flip Peebels, you don't muck about, do you?

[RichmondHens]

Er - if they all come (or most of them), have you got enough space for them all???

[Nicos]

Good on you!!!!

[Peebels]

Never have been one to mess about!

And yes, if they all turn out good I have ample brooding space. I have Plenty of space down the lottie for them when they are big enough and everyone has agreed to chip in and help out should it be needed. I think once i have taken first pick everyone else who has contributed eggs will be taking some hens (and cocks for eating)! I cant really see them all hatching out though, not on my first attempt anyway!

peebs

[sherpa]

Wow, imagine the day the 52 hatch!!! wild

[Snadger]

If all 52 are cockerels you'll have sunday dinners for a year!

[Bramble-Poultry]

if at 10 days all look like the third row down, RHS then you have infertile eggs as the blastoderm hasnt set and developed.

However, as Maureen says, if this is your first time at incubating i would wait until day 14 where you will see definate development.

Word of warning - if you have 50 eggs - whether the chicks last for years or just one day, as you have had 50 poultry in one place, at a period of time you will have to register with defra. its a pain......

[Peebels]

That is a very good point, and one which i had overlooked! I assume that the figure relates to hatched chicks and not hatching eggs? Thus if less that 46 hatch i am ok? (46 chicks + 4 existing hens)

On a second look at the eggs i noticed that although I could see the presence of pours there are only a fraction in comparison to the picture. I'm pretty sure there are less than there was when i originally did it but i cant be sure?

Either way, we will just have to see what happens, as i said above, if i only got one out of it i would be happy, especially if it was a pekin.

Peebs

[Bramble-Poultry]

Trust me - pray for less than a 100% hatch as DEFRA do like to complicate things for you.

If you do end up having to register, take what common sense you have, throw it and any mental reasoning and skill you have about you, out of the window and willingly oblige the guys in grey suits or your life will be made very awkward.

I have had one turn up here before, just after a major flash flood from the rain, in a suit and brogue shoes, wanting to know if i had any decking boards i could put down so he could get out of the car to have a look around. The answer was a resounding NO, come back later or learn to wade..........

on the flip side, if you are registered with defra you do get the heads up when disease is about and if you have to have your birds culled for any reason such as disease outbreak at a neighbours, then at least you do get compensation. No real reward as you can never replace your birds, but at least the financial sting is numbed slightly.

Keep a few rare breeds (as identified on their list) they cant touch your birds anyways, so always worth keeping a few Dorkings or True Light Sussex

[Peebels]

I think its a government official thing, or perhaps just an official thing! Even i keep a selection of foot wear in my car just in case its ridiculously wet and muddy when i go to sort the girls out.

Ill see how things look in a week or so when i have some kind of estimate as to how many i will get. I really cant see me getting a high hatch rate though.