Redwing Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I need some reassurance from those of you who have hatched using a broody The eggs in my incubator are very warm to the touch however the five under madam broody are quite cold, Amber is sitting tight and rarely gets up off the nest so why would they be cold? is that normal? Any adviice would be great, theoreticaly (sp?) I still have time to put them in the inccy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smanners Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 We hatched 11 eggs under Rocky recently. When she got off each day to feed drink and poo (about 20 mins max) if I was around I would check the eggs were still warm and none had gone cold (especially the outside ones). They were definately warm not at all cold. Don't have any knowledge as to why yours might be cold but just wanted to let you know my experience. Hopefully someone on here will have some advice for you. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 are they cold/cold or lukewarm/cold? Are they this temp under the broody while she's sitting? or after she's got up? Is this the temp of the outside eggs or is this the temp of the centre eggs directly under her? Has she got a plucked tummy? How long is she spending off the eggs at a time per day? If she's bare and sitting on the eggs to skin, they will - or should - get warm and she should be shuffling them around as she moves and settles and this moves the eggs around and close to her. This also moves some of the outer eggs in. If she's getting off more than once a day and staying off longer that 5 mins or so then she could be leaving them to get a bit too cool. Apparently not all is lost even then, though, they may take a wee bit longer to hatch but I'm sure I read in Practical Poultry about a broody that kept letting her eggs get a bit cool and they still hatched. good luck with the hatch, Tasha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Amber gets hooked off the eggs twice a day for water food and a massive poo she panics the whole time she is away from the eggs and wolfs down her food, she is back on the eggs within a few minutes tops Amber has not plucked her tummy but is a tight sitter, I have been at home nearly all day and she has not budged apart from her two breaks I have moved her this eve and cleared out the woodshavings replacing them with chopped straw in a deep nest shape just in case any heat is escaping out the sides She is sittng on a precious Cuckoo Araucana egg so I am going to put that one in the inccy and leave her four eggs just in case she is having problems covering them all In this pic she is sitting on six eggs and I can't see any peeping out the sides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Have you candled them, Tasha? Are they developing normally? That might give you a clue about whether they've been too cold. all I can think that's different is that she doesn't have a plucked bare tummy against the eggs themselves, do you think that would make such a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Like others have said are the eggs hot under her? Mine sat tight but had plucked her tummy. They felt cold to me when she was off for about 20 minutes once but we got 4 out of 6 hatch and the two unhatched ones turned out not to be fertile. I was told only to lift once a day and also I didn't lift her off in the last three days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 When our broody was sitting on eggs I only checked a couple of times, and only by placing the back of my hand on an egg when she left the nest for a break. The eggs didn't feel very warm with that test. However, when I pulled one out to candle it right at the end it was like picking up a freshly laid egg, so I think they do experience some variation in temperature when under a broody (unlike the incubator, where it's the same 24/7 for all 21 days). Good luck anyway (and gorgeous picture!). Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks all I have removed the CA egg and put that in the inccy just in case I can't candle the eggs as the blue ones are really tricky to see anything and the rest are dark brown marans eggs so have no chance there either I will be patient and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 (edited) ooooohh Just googled cookoo ara and oooohhhhh!!!! I want one! Whoever said that Orps tend to broodiness obviuosly forgot to let my two know! How am I suposed to con OH into thinking that we have had an imaculate conception in the garden if they won`t even contemplate sitting! Hope you precious egg hatches along with your broodies remaining eggs. OOOh more chicks to coo at! I am very Edited July 6, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 ooooohh Just googled cookoo ara and oooohhhhh!!!! I want one! Whoever said that Orps are tend to broodiness obviuosly forgot to let my two know! How am I suposed to con OH into thinking that we have had an imaculate conception in the garden if they won`t even contemplate sitting! Em, you are so easily led...mind you I can't talk can I ?! My 4 Orpies have so far seemed to take it in turns to play at being broody...about 3 hours is their usual, although Buffie is at present sitting in the nestbox swearing bluemurder at me - most unladylike - and her hackles go up as soon as I put my hand in to stroke her/check for lice, sometimes she even takes a swipe at me & gets a firm "no" in response!!! She went in at about 7 last night and was in the same position this morning when I went to check them this morning. I didn't check after dark to see if she got out to roost. If she stays in there all day today, I'll check tonight & maybe stick a fake egg in for her to snuggle up with to test the waters so to speak. How long is a good indicator before inserting real potentially viable eggs under her (...and no I'm not going the Choc Orpie route yet )? Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Easily led....moi! I think little bro's silkie and or Frizzle who constantly sit may be coming on holiday a little sooner than planned! My maternal instict is in overdrive and if i can`t have a real baby then i will happily settle for some little chicky babies I assume that you are now going down the pekin route Sha! I would think a couple of days sitting would be a good indicator but I am no expert! My only previous experience of broody hatching was on the farm and chicks just used to appear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 How long is a good indicator before inserting real potentially viable eggs under her? Sha x We let our girl sit on 'dummy' eggs for 3 days before replacing them with 'real' eggs. You do need to be sure she'll stay put. However, don't leave it too long, hens are programmed to sit for three weeks, and although they can't count, too much longer than 21 days and they might get up just before the end . With that said, Orps are meant to be one of the best broody breeds out there, so should stay on the case a bit longer than others. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 She was in there all day on Saturday until I dragged her kicking, screaming, hissing & spitting out into the fresh air, & we were out most of yesterday but when I was home I don't remember seeing her out of the nestbox much if at all! I'll pop in somewhere & get some ceramic eggs later today, just in case - daft question alert would I need to put the same number of fake eggs as real ones under her...am I suggesting there may be some dormant intelligence beneath those dopey feathers ?! If there is, it's very very dormant so far !! I don't have a separate house or nestbox for her until the Pekins go home next weekend, would she be ok to stay in the with the others until the is vacated? I assume she'd tuck all the other eggs under her, but when she goes out to eat I can retrieve all the fresh ones, or would this potentially damage the "hatchables"?....I think I'm jumping ahead of myself here, I'll calm down & go to the cash & carry now!!! Thank you for all you valuable advice, and I'll also venture into the "FAQs" re hatching on my return too! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 ...am I suggesting there may be some dormant intelligence beneath those dopey feathers ?! If there is, it's very very dormant so far !! Sha x Intelligence....Orps.......in the same sentence!!!???? Get a hold of yourself woman!!! oooh well if you are hatching then I spose i should! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 I would say the hen needs to be somewhere quiet, I got a rabbit hutch off ebay for £8.99 for mine! You could leave her in the cube but you run the risk of her getting distracted or hassled by the others if you leave her there I sat mine on 3 eggs to test her before I put her on 6 proper eggs, she didnt seem to mind the change in number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I sat mine on 3 eggs to test her before I put her on 6 proper eggs, she didnt seem to mind the change in number I would agree, they can't count. Mine sat on one of her own for 3 days, we then added 6 fertile eggs 3 days later. When they didn't hatch, we slipped 8 1-day chicks under her on what would have been day 23. It all worked out fine , but as palmer07 pointed out, Intelligence and Orps aren't usually two words you put in the same sentence . Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 would I need to put the same number of fake eggs as real ones under her...am I suggesting there may be some dormant intelligence beneath those dopey feathers ?! I don't have a separate house or nestbox for her until the Pekins go home next weekend, would she be ok to stay in the with the others until the is vacated? I assume she'd tuck all the other eggs under her, but when she goes out to eat I can retrieve all the fresh ones, or would this potentially damage the "hatchables"?.... Sha x My Orp has been broody for about 6 weeks now - 4 days until hatch day! So far she's sat on: nothing, then hard boiled eggs, then pot eggs, then fertile farm eggs (which didn't hatch), then some of the eggs that Babs ended up hatching and now - at last - her 'own to hatch' speckled sussex eggs. I swapped the eggs when she was off the nest, she couldn't care less. One of the reasons the farm eggs didn't hatch was that when she went back into the cube nest box after a quick snack she decided to sit on some freshly laid eggs from her mates instead of the farm eggs on the other side of the nest box. She has done this in the nest box of a cube, then in a cat carrier in a converted dog crate, and now finally and happily, in a smashing pink rablu courtesy of Egluntine. The girl just sits wherever the eggs are. Mind you we did move her from place to place at night-time, and we did shut her in for the first 12-18 hours so she wouldn't think about shifting. But no fear. I think you'll be fine to start on golfballs/boiled eggs/pot eggs in the cube nest box just to keep her going then when you've got your back you can set her up in there. If she's a big girl then take the roosting bars out and fill the body of the eglu with nesting material. Put the eggs in, plonk her down on top and shut the door. The lack of native cunning in your average orp should do the rest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Well I turfed her out through the egg port & stuck her on the floor...she was really grumpy at that ! She walked round the cube run, did the most enormous poo (even by Orpie standards ) & practically ran round to the door of the run & stuck her head into the nearest feeder! I'm not sure if she had a drink, but there was plenty for her to dip into on her way back up to the nestbox where she's now snuggled on to a pair of DS's golf balls!! Yup, bright she ain't!!! If she stays on the balls tomorrow I will make serious moves to find some Pekin eggs and a separate house for her to sit in. I'm hoping to get a rablu, would this be ok for her to be moved into in a few days, or would I be better to wait until she hatches & move them all in together? Too many options considering I haven't got an extra house nor a rablu yet !!!......nor convinced DH it's a good idea Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
