4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[helsbels]

Hello there - I feel like Ive had a lifetime of chicken keeping in a few months this year ..... cockerels, feisty introductions, dead chicken for nor reason, fox attacks bla bla

 

and now my brown 'will they go broody - no of course not madam, broodiness is bred out of them' hybrid ..... is broody

 

I have taken up the challenge - on the basis that I surely cant experience anything else this year - and have purchased some cream leghorn eggs and have popped them under her. I'm not convinced she's going to be the best incy - I worry about her commitment and whether she has the instinct - but the main question is - are 6 eggs too many? It seems that when I go in to check on her theres always one peeping out.... am I better off sacrificing one now (day 2) to ensure she manages to keep the other 5 warm?

 

any advice would be great !

 

thank you

 

[thebdj]

How interesting. I posted before I read this about my silkie who is doing exactly the same thing! Now the silkie is likely to be smaller than the hybrid and so should struggle a bit more with 6 eggs but still!

 

Anyway, I keep checking her and am trying to encourage her to cover everything but am resigned to the fact that if she does a better job with 3 or 4 of them, then a sacrifice of 2 is not so bad. In truth, I feel like she keeps changing round the ones that are on the 'outside' so maybe she is sharing the warmth.

 

To your question of how many eggs under your chicken. I felt that 6 was sensible for the silkie and I reckon that is more than sensible for a bigger bird which I would guess your hybrid is. You could probably do more under there but quality over quantity and all that suggests to me that 6 is absolutely perfect.

 

Has she pecked you yet? My silkie growls when I go near her. It's hilarious!

 

Justin

[Lewis]

6 should be ok, especailly if this is the 3rd day she's been on them. If I were you I'd candle them on day 7 and see if any look infertile, then take those out to give the others a better chance

[teri]

i have a silkie bantam who is most likley a hybrid. she sat on a dozen bantam sized eggs earlier this year. these eggs were of a simular size to the ones she had been laying herself. out of the twelve five did not hatch, four of these turned out to be infertile the other just did't make it, not sure why. Being new to this i didn't trust my candling and so all 12 remained with her until the hatch. it was only when she left the nest with the hatchlings that i removed the last 5 eggs.

as you can see she coped brilliantly with 7 chicks and all are now 14 weeks old and thriving.....she is broody again!!!!

i'm sure your hybri will be fine with six eggs

good luck and keep us posted

teri

[helsbels]

thank you for all your help and encouragement - Lilly's certainly determined to sit there, her hearts completely in it, although every time I go in one or two are completely out of the nest I dont hold out much hope for the hatch but we'll candle them tonight and hopefully one or two may be OK - if they are theyre tuff little cookies thats for sure !

 

will let you know how we get on ................