What are you currently incubating/brooding?

[RichmondHens]

on that note, RH if you ever want to do an egg swap let me know! We have pekins, silkies, show quality silver laced wyandotte bantams, silkie cross light sussex lf, buff orpington lf, salmon faverolle lf, call ducks, khaki campbells, bronze turkeys and will have, if i find a drake rouens. We are also planning phoenix yokohamas and dutch bantams this year!

Might take you up on the bronze turkeys. Didn't get my pair of blacks in the end - owner said she had decided to keep them (I think she thought I might secretly eat them). She has offered me eggs instead.

I will be able to do Light Sussex, Cream Legbar, Araucana and Exchequer Leghorn, all LF. Sadly not Minorca since the demise of Mario yesterday. The Indian Game have been split up - I'm using Jones to father only crosses this year as they grow faster, the hens Cocoa and Horlicks have joined another group.

[petal]

excellent, would love to swap some bronze turkey eggs of ours for some lucky dip selection of yours in the spring!!! Glad to hear cocoa and horlicks are still around!

[Hilary B]

The biggest problem with goose eggs under a broodie is the time they take to hatch (up to 5 weeks), and the need for damping is more than with ducks. Ours were always hatched by the goose, so I can only go by what neighbours said with theirs. I don't know of anyone helping them.

[julesapple]

Every spring I say 'no eggs!' ..........but I'm tempted by these Gold Tops, the auto-sexing would be handy too;



Jules

[RichmondHens]

Yes they are pretty little birds - silkie cross sussex. Very pretty and less fluffy than a pure silkie so can tolerate wet weather better I should imagine.

[polo]

They are pretty - I would be tempted if I was you as well!!

[petal]

yes, we have these- we cross our gold silkie with a large fowl light sussex hen- tufties we call them!

[julesapple]

Apparently, they go broody at the drop of a hat; not sure I need that. There are some large fowl frizzles that I quite fancy though!

Jules

[petal]

Frizzles go broody at the drop of a hat too....!

[jessmorris]

Hmmm...you're all so keen and early with your brooding, I can't keep up! I might have found room for a breeding coop and pen in the next village, so if that does happen, I'll go for something like Russian Orloff bigtime :-)) (would prefer to do large fowl modern game but don't have the room............., or possibly the nerves!)
Good luck with your cheepies everyone!
JM

[petal]

Good to plan ahead- if you start to breed seriously- you have to get birds in good condition now and fertility checks have to be done before you start to sell hatching eggs in march. You can get bantam russian orloff- they are very sweet.

[julesapple]

Frizzles go broody at the drop of a hat too....!

Dang....ah well, it's not as if I need more chooks!

jules

[walldanzig]

I nearly fell through the floor when I saw people where hatching already. Brilliant I've been thinking about it again but didnt know if it was too early.

[RichmondHens]

Well it is a bit early, but we've had no snow (yet) this year so things are a little ahead. I have a serious broody now (an arm eating maniac) and am contemplating setting her although normally I wouldn't start setting eggs till mid February at the earliest. I aim for my first hatches to come off in March, and always like to have fluffies about for Easter to keep the children happy!

[Hilary B]

Easter is fairly early this year..... (not ultra-early, but earlyish)