Britannia Ovens (esp Range cookers) your experience

[JB09]

Betsy is broody for the first time. I'm going to use her to hatch some chicks but have a few questions

 

She has been broody for two days now and is sitting on two infertile eggs she gathered from the nest box. She appears devoted and determined so I have decided to give her a turn as hatching. Having only been laying herself for about a month, I wasn't really expecting her to go broody quite so soon. When I get home from work and let the rest of the girls out, I have been lifting her off for a break; regular as clockwork, both days, she has eaten her afternoon treat, pottered about for twenty minutes and gone back to the eggs.

 

My questions are:

 

A couple of times I have been to look at her (I'm just intrigued) one of the eggs has been poking out the side feathers. But on returning, its back under! If for some reason she doesnt notice the eggs are poking out will this affect the hatch rate if they get too cold? Also when I took her off for a break I picked up the eggs and they were not as hot as I thought they would be even though they had been totally covered when I took her off?

 

Secondly, how many eggs do pekins normally comfortably manage?

 

Sorry for sounding neurotic, but want to be clued up before I start. When telling my next door neighbour about it all, he has offered me a incubator if it all goes t*ts up with Besty half way through. Result.

[karlotta]

 

A couple of times I have been to look at her (I'm just intrigued) one of the eggs has been poking out the side feathers. But on returning, its back under! If for some reason she doesnt notice the eggs are poking out will this affect the hatch rate if they get too cold? Also when I took her off for a break I picked up the eggs and they were not as hot as I thought they would be even though they had been totally covered when I took her off?

It's normal for a hen to rotate the eggs to keep them at the correct temperature. In this hot weather it could well be that at some points they'll need cooling down a bit! She knows best!

 

Secondly, how many eggs do pekins normally comfortably manage?

Mine sat happily on 7, my slightly smaller pekin is on 6.

 

 

Have you got her separate from the rest of the girls? I'd move her now and pop the same number of infertile eggs under her to make sure she's going to carry on sitting for a few days before popping some fertile ones under her.

 

Good luck

[Lewis]

She should be able to cover them fine, maybe was just settling down again

 

You'll need to put her in a separate broody coop, as karlotta said, move her at night so that she doesn't notice and will settle down again. Then the next night swap the infertile eggs for fertile ones, one at a time.

That day will be day 0, and they'll take 21 days to hatch

 

Is it bantam eggs you'll be setting under her - I'd say 5 or 6 eggs

She may be able to cover more ... someone on here had a LF hen go off and hatch something like 16 chicks!

 

You need to make sure she is eating, but also think about what you'll do with any chicks ... especially multiple cockerels.

[Mollie333]

Depends on the egg size.

I have my Pekin bantam Effy sat on four Light Sussex LF eggs, but before she was sat on seven Pekin (infertile) eggs.

Bare in mind like lewis said that they wont all be hens.. so you have to think about the fate of the boys..

Theres a picture of my Pekin, Effy, on her break. http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb37/3Mol3/?action=view&current=Chooooks006.jpg&newest=1

She is quite small, but when she is 'pancaked out' she can cover four large fowl eggs with room to spare!

 

Goodluck and keep us posted on the hatch..

 

 

*Im on day 9 now! Should hatch around July 4th. *

[JB09]

Thanks for the replys. As it is her first time being broody, I was waiting to see whether she stuck. Turns out that she has, so I am going to move her so she is ready and settled for when my eggs from ebay arrive.

 

Funnily today, when she has got up for something to eat and drink she looks to be limping slightly... Not sure if I am seeing things because I'm a terrible worrier! I have check her legs and feet (what i can see of them through feathers!) carefully and it all seems to be ok. Maybe a dead leg from laying down all day? Possibly? Please calm my worries!

 

Also, how many times do people roughly take them off the nest to make sure they are eating/drinking? She normally comes of herself in the morning for 10 mins or so and I am taking her off when I get home from work.

 

JB

[joza2210]

The eggs poking out the side if fine ... I had a frizzle pekin and it was her first time going broody and she was only sat on one little egg and it was still poking out the side

 

And for sitting on the eggs i would say around 5 but as lewis says : i have had a orpington bantam who sat comfortably on 17 eggs

 

Yes she might be slightly weak for all the sitting down - Mine was the same but it gets better once she is out and about with the chicks ...

 

Also i just leave mine to it ... They come out every mourning for a bite to eat and a drink and sometimes little dust bathe ... That takes around 5 to 10 minutes off the eggs and that is perfectly ok ... But when it gets to lockdown (Day 18) Make sure you provide her with water and food so she does not need to go out or off the eggs.

 

Good Luck

[karlotta]

I don't lift mine off either, but so far they have got themselves up occasionally - maybe if they didn't I might change my tune!

[JB09]

So, Besty is in a routine of leaving the nest for 20 minutes at 6pm! What creatures of habit! I've been watching in amazement as she eats, drinks, poo's and dustbathes all the the space of 20 minutes. I think it may have even been a bit less tonight! Her limp seems to have miraculously dissappeared. Relief.

 

I am looking forward to setting my eggs this week. Out of interest what are people's general experiences of buying fertilsed eggs from ebay?

 

JB

[Redwing]

There are some good sellers on ebay but an awful lot of rubbish, eggs that arent fertile or what does hatch isnt what it says on the tin

 

Expected your hatch rate from posted eggs to be generally lower as eggs dont always travel well

 

Re the broody, she should be ok from only coming off the nest once a day but I am throwing mine a bit of soaked wheat or corn once a day when its hot just to keep her hydrated

 

If you do lift her off then put your hands under her wings to do so, it makes her flap a bit but it means you can free any eggs under the wings, people lose eggs not realising that the hen tucks some under her wings and so they fall out on to the ground!

[bessandra]

Hmmmm I was wondering about eBay eggs for next summer. That's put me off a bit. How else do you buy them though?do breeders sell them?

[JB09]

My breeder does sell fertilised eggs but they have none at the moment! They have just moved all the hens about and the pekin bantams have gone off lay! I have decided to give ebay a go, and have just won an auction for 6 mixed pekin eggs. The feedback was vey positive so fingers crossed. I will keep you all updated.

 

JB

[Redwing]

Hmmmm I was wondering about eBay eggs for next summer. That's put me off a bit. How else do you buy them though?do breeders sell them?

 

many will sell them yes. sometimes if they hatch to show they will be a bit protective about letting eggs go but most will sell them ok, you sometimes have to ask as many dont advertise them

 

If breeders hatch they tend to do it earlier in the year so they are more likely to have spare eggs after May