What are you currently incubating/brooding?

[walldanzig]

I have 12 White Leghorns

[petal]

Going to go for a pekin hatch this time- they are laying like crazy- we have a black, lavender and gold partridge cockerel running with every colour of pekin imaginable so we get a wide spread of lovely colours- and some frizzles!

[RichmondHens]

Still have 11 cream legbars incubating and now collecting eggs in case anyone wants to buy any for hatching (if you get my drift, I know we cannot advertise on here).

Just put the Exchequer Leghorns together (Mr and Mrs) - Mr is younger than Mrs so have been waiting for him to be ready for her. So will start collecting and incubating eggs from them in 3 weeks.

[Munch]

Oops!..... What have we done???

We have a rampant Cockerel...... for those of you that remember he is our only Hubbard that hatched late last year.... didnt fatten up over winter hence still with us!!

Well........ he is running with a couple of Orp girls that hatched at the same time, a couple of hybrids, a menorca and a light sussex. There are a couple of Orp boys too, but they dont seem very "active".

Well 3 girls are laying, not sure which ones (obviously not the menorca as no white eggs yet)

We decided to pop some eggs in the inccy just to see what sort of fertility we have (a bit if fun really)

we put 8 eggs in and candled them last night and all 8 are fertile!!!!

What on earth are we going to do with 8 bertie bassets???

[Hilary B]

Curry, fajitas, coq au vin etc....

[jessmorris]

Roast 'em!!

[jessmorris]

Hello all,
just thought I'd add a post here - two banties are down, sitting tight on dummy eggs, and I found some Russian Orloff banty eggs in Cheltenham which I was able to pick up on my way back from my mum's. They will go under Buffy this evening. Wish us luck )) I'm SO excited, my first true hatch for showing birds!!

[jessmorris]

...and now some 'Cayenne bantam' eggs have arrived from France, kindly brought by another Grape! They are cross bred bantams, no particular breed I believe, but should make nice house hens. The eggs are a beautiful ivory colour, and quite pointed. One week to go for the Orloffs, and some more arriving today from Skipton. I decided to do all my hatching early this year and not string it out over the summer. It might be busy for a while but at least all the hatchings will be over by the end of April.

RH did your CLB hatch well?

Happy hatching all!

C

[RichmondHens]

No it didn't :-( two boys, one girl, one dis, one partial and two clear. Then the girl somehow got out from under the hen and got cold and died :-( So have 7 more "cooking" now, due in a fortnight. Will be setting the Exchequers in a couple of days and have just set 10 goose eggs although having fun and games with the incy as 4 of the eggs are massive and don't fit the tray properly so I'm having to dive in and turn by hand so have no idea whether this will work or not.

On the upside turkey hen is thinking of laying, the stags are squabbling over her - had a big bust up on Sunday night and I had to wade in and manhandle them apart.

And I may have a pregnant cat .................... :-)

[Scarlet]

Will be setting the Exchequers in a couple of days and have just set 10 goose eggs although having fun and games with the incy as 4 of the eggs are massive and don't fit the tray properly so I'm having to dive in and turn by hand so have no idea whether this will work or not.

Ha! I do that with turkey eggs - it doesn't seem to make a diference

[petal]

Yes, i have had to turn turkey eggs by hand sometimes but not in the new brinsea as the whole thing rocks on its cradle. Thing with goose eggs is the humidity level needs to be higher than a turkey egg, by opening the incubator this will effect the humidity. However, I imagine geese get off their eggs daily for a poop and a swim, like ducks? Perhaps just turn those 4 eggs by hand twice a day?

[RichmondHens]

That's what I've decided to do Petal. I'm turning them three times - morning, noon and night. Hope that's enough - the humidity seems to get back to normal fairly rapidly.

[petal]

what hatching rate will you expect with these eggs. is around 50% good with geese?

[jessmorris]

Oh dear my Orloff's don't look good. They hatched over 48 hours and look a bit feeble. I'm disappointed for me but also a bit worried for them - they are wobbly and one is curled up as though it is still in the egg. Its got one eye shut too...I do hope they perk up tomorrow, but they do look a weak bunch. Any ideas anyone? Its cold and blowy outside but they are tucked up with mum (a silkin) in a meadow hay nest on a square of turf in a T&G rabbit hutch, so I think they are warm enough. They've got chick crumbs and water and grit to hand with a slice of cucmber to nibble....its a time of waiting and seeing I guess. Boo. I did so hope these would be a bonny bunch. JM

[petal]

As they are classified as a rare breed, I would be inclined to hand rear them- any weaklings will stand more chance of survival. Were they posted eggs and how old were they- the older they get the more problems they seem to have with hatching, generally. They will appreciate chopped boiled egg or emp. emp is a wonder food for baby canaries- we get ours from our local farm shop and it really gives chicks a boost.
If you decide to leave chicks with the broody, do not interfere and be prepared to let nature take its course. Tough one, I know, we tried everything we could recently to save a gorgeous gold brahma chick with badly splayed legs but it wasn't to be. i hate it when they don't make it and they are so small and cute.