Single hen

[feemcg]

Just noticed Lesley has eggs in the incubator - I have my first lot in too. I have 24 in at the moment but I candled last night (day 7) and have 6 or 7 that are clear. I didn't have the confidence to bin the clears last night but will candle again in about 4 days and if its still the same, get rid of them then.

I have a mixture of Cream Legbars, Welbars and Speckled Sussex and can't wait for hatch day - its all very exciting. Good luck with yours Lesley!

[hillfamily]

EGGCITING

 

DO keep us posted ..........would love to hatch some eggs but I don't know anyone who would have the cockerels

[bronze]

Ooooh how exciting

My sons nursery had some going til someone turned off th eincubator. May have to convince them to try again

[Martin B]

How exciting, keep us updated!

[The Dogmother]

Brilliant Fee - keep us posted

[ubereglu]

That sounds fun.

 

If you need instructions on how to build a brooder once the chicks have hatched I have some instructions in a practical poultry magazine that might be of some use too you.

 

If it is I'll scan it in and e-mail you the pages.

[Lesley]

Great news Fee

 

Don't discard the clears yet - ask Louise about when we candled our fist lot of eggs

 

The signs were all there at the next candling after initially thinking they weren't fertile.

 

The Marans eggs I have set are so dark brown, they will be difficulkt to candle

[Paola]

I looked at the title and thought that we would be having another Omlet baby Good luck with your eggs

[Martin B]

I looked at the title and thought that we would be having another Omlet baby Good luck with your eggs

 

I did at first too!

[theherd123]

I looked at the title and thought that we would be having another Omlet baby Good luck with your eggs

 

I did at first too!

 

Me three!!

 

Oh little chicks to look forward too!!!

[Popcorn]

Me four Em!

 

Still - chickes are just as lovely

[feemcg]

No chance of real babies here (unfortunately) so I'll need to make do with my little chicks!

Liz, I was going to buy a huge plastic storage box I saw in Ikea for a brooder but I've since bought a new set of pots that came in a big, sturdy cardboard box, so i think that'll do - for the first couple of weeks at least.

This week has seen big changes for the 'big' girls - they have moved out of the eglu and into a wooden house (built on the platform wher the eglu used to sit) They now have 2 nest boxes, which should hopefully stop Skye from climbing on top of whoever is in the nest, when she keeps her legs crossed 'till the last minute!

The eglu is scrubbed and will be in the 'growers' run, adjacent to the big run. I'll keep the roosting bars out for the first 12 weeks, and once they're big enough the new girls that I'm keeping will be in with the big girls.

The girls and boys that I'm not keeping have homes waiting - I'm very lucky to have 2 peple that will take the boys.

...and thats that, all sounds very simple in theory!

[Martin B]

I'm sure you'll be a great chickie mum!

[Lesley]

Fee - you'll need to use something to round of any corners in the box -we used a roll of corrugated cardboard. They can crush each other in corners.

 

The chicks will manage the roosting bars after about 6-8 weeks - we put them flat in the brooder, on top of the Aubiose, for them to practise on onece they reached 4 weeks.

[feemcg]

Thanks for the advise Lesley - I had read about them cramming into corners but wasn't sure if it was a common thing - I'll sort that out.

I took the bull by the horns tonight and binned 6 clears and 2 with blood rings - it was amazing how one of the rings had developed since I saw the start of it a couple of days ago. Of course, being me, I had to open them all and have a look! Sure enough the clears had nothing in them but huge yolks and one of the blood ring ones had a tiny embryo - what a shame, didn't want to see the other one so just left it. So I'm left with 16 now - Cream Legbars, 2 Welbars and only 1 out of 6 Speckled Sussex.

[Lesley]

We'll be candling on Wednesday - can't wait.

 

I hope those 16 do well Fee

[feemcg]

I candled again last night and 1 more had lost all its veins and developed a blood ring so took it out. The remainder are amazing - you can see the little feet kicking out and an eye if it brings its face close to the shell - some are really active.

It feels weird when I think I have 15 unborn babies in my utility room!

Its candling day for you today Lesley isn't it? - good luck and let us know how it goes.

[The Dogmother]

I could never see that much detail when I did it.

[feemcg]

Clare, there are a few that are darker and I can only just see a bit of movement in them - I presume they are actually the stronger shells. The one Speckled Sussex I have left (out of 6) is very translucent and I can see a lot of detail in it. Its hard not to keep looking for ages but the shell gets really hot from the candler and I'm worried the egg starts cooking!

[The Dogmother]

Which candler do you use Fee?

[feemcg]

Its just the standard Brinsea one but i think you can get 'high-intensity' ones too. Seems to do the job fine but I've read that if it was very dark eggs, such as Marans you can rarely see in them with any candler.

[The Dogmother]

I think I might need a proper candler then rather than the high intensity torch that I used.

 

Thanks for that Fee

[Lesley]

We just use a torch as well - we'll never see anything in the Marans eggs we've got now

[feemcg]

Its getting exciting now! The incubator came off the turning cradle last night and I candled the 14 remaining eggs again - I could still see movement in most of them but a couple were very still and I'm not sure if they've died or just don't have much room left. I've increased the humidity to around 69% - some people say 65%, some say 75% so I thought I would aim for something in between! The brooder is ready, I've bought chick crumb so all I need to do now is check the camera!.....and maybe phone in sick to work!!

[Nicola H]

It all sounds very exciting Fee I hope you get lots of lovely chicks i can't wait for the pics....