Crisis averted...hopefully?

[Snadger]

Got to allotment today to find my Light Sussex Broody out and a bout in the run with the two Minorca's! Opened the coop hatch and the five Araucana eggs were clay cold.
She was ok last night so could only have been off them a couple of hours. I cleaned out the nest where she'd pooped and as she didn't seem inclined to return I took the eggs out with the intention of putting them in my incy. Put them in full sun to warm them up a bit...........went to chip shop for lunch and lo and behold when I returned she was back on the empty clean nest.
I then put the eggs back under her and checked before I came away to make sure she was still sitting.
They were originally put under her on 17th Sept. The postie smashed one and now she has got up and deserted the other five for 4 hours half way through incubation...........not the best start in life is it?
It's up to her now but had wondered about barricading her into the coop to stop it happening again............problem being is that she shares the coop with the Minorcas.
The winter quarters is now ready for the Minorcas (a hut within a hut on the end of a greenhouse) problem is it's still full of fruiting tomatoes and peppers!
Don't honestly know what to do for the best.

[walldanzig]

Get them in the Incy Snadger or put half in the incy half under her. All mine are in the incy out of the six i'm down to five after candelling

[di]

All I can say is Good Luck!!!...you only have to look back at when Marigold was sitting on our first hatch to see that it is possible they'll still hatch,what I will say is I think no matter how well you barricade her in,if she decides she's had enough then there's not a lot you can do about it!Both times Marigold let them go cold(once the first night & then three or so days before the end)she was in a pretty confined space.
Hope it all works out for you this time!x

[Snadger]

All I can say is Good Luck!!!...you only have to look back at when Marigold was sitting on our first hatch to see that it is possible they'll still hatch,what I will say is I think no matter how well you barricade her in,if she decides she's had enough then there's not a lot you can do about it!Both times Marigold let them go cold(once the first night & then three or so days before the end)she was in a pretty confined space.
Hope it all works out for you this time!x

Refresh my memory..............did some still hatch ok and was she a good mother to the ones that did hatch?

[di]

First night of having the eggs,I went to check on her in the morning & she'd strewn all the eggs all around the rabbit hutch/broody coop & showed absolutely no interest in sitting on them.We then moved her back to the old coop with her friends & she sat well for the next couple of weeks.She then gave up about three days before the eggs were due to hatch,the eggs were cold for a large part of the day(& it wasn't warm).Her sister Dandelion rather miraculously took over the job & together they were great mums to six(I think?)babies.(isn't memory a crap thing!!!)

I don't know what your facilities are for brooding an incubated hatch,but thinking about smells I don't think I'm much up for incubating at home over the winter...that's a lot of days/weeks inside until they're feathered up enough for the great cold outdoors!...Obviously if you have facilities other than living quarters for them then go for popping some in the incy!(or indeed if you appreciate the sweet smell of chook poop in your lounge!)

[Snadger]

First night of having the eggs,I went to check on her in the morning & she'd strewn all the eggs all around the rabbit hutch/broody coop & showed absolutely no interest in sitting on them.We then moved her back to the old coop with her friends & she sat well for the next couple of weeks.She then gave up about three days before the eggs were due to hatch,the eggs were cold for a large part of the day(& it wasn't warm).Her sister Dandelion rather miraculously took over the job & together they were great mums to six(I think?)babies.(isn't memory a crap thing!!!)

I don't know what your facilities are for brooding an incubated hatch,but thinking about smells I don't think I'm much up for incubating at home over the winter...that's a lot of days/weeks inside until they're feathered up enough for the great cold outdoors!...Obviously if you have facilities other than living quarters for them then go for popping some in the incy!(or indeed if you appreciate the sweet smell of chook poop in your lounge!)

The last ones were in the spare bedroom next to the puter! That was in summer though and they were away in five weeks.
If I have to, needs must, I could still rig up a broody coop but had rather banked on the more natural approach.
If she does hatch them I have warmer drier quarters for her and her brood throughout the winter so that shouldn't be a problem.

Glad all turned out well in the end for you and yours anyway!

[Snadger]

Arrived to find the LS broody in the run again today, the eggs were once again cold. She got back on the nest before I left a couple of hours later. She mustn't realise that the eggs need to be kept at a constant temp.

If these eggs hatch I think I'll look for a star in the East cos it will be a bl**dy miracle!

[Eco-Chic]

Can't you tell her to Sit Stay!

[Snadger]

Can't you tell her to Sit Stay!

You've been watching too much Barbara Woodhouse I reckon!

[RichmondHens]

Snadge, hate to say it but your hens sounds like she is going off broody. If the eggs have gone cold twice methinks they will not come to anything, but you could try them in the incy just in case. I would call it a day with the hen and let her return to the flock. The weather is getting colder and nature is telling her it's not so good now to raise chicks.

[RichmondHens]

Another reason she might be getting off is the eggs are duds and the hen knows it, so thinks no point in sitting! Have you candled them?

[Snadger]

Eggs are now in the incubator............probably too late but I suppose nature could prevail.
As for the unmotherly runt of a Light Sussex...............I feel like kicking her around the pen!

Too small and runty to eat, lays banty sized eggs and is a crap mother! What the heck has she got going for her? I am rapidly becoming the patron saint of lost causes!

[Snadger]

Another reason she might be getting off is the eggs are duds and the hen knows it, so thinks no point in sitting! Have you candled them?

Don't do egg candling................tried it once with piccies from the net for reference and still couldn't make head nor taill of it!

[Snadger]

Wonders??????..................Now I've got the Incy fired up I suppose I could....................

[its hilly]

:d:d:d rofl.