Unsecure chicken perches

[brambles]

Hi all,

I have two broodies. One is in my spare eglu and the other currently growling in the cube. My lavender pekin frizzle hatching eggs arrived today but I'm still waiting on my silver laced Wyandotte eggs and the chap selling them, although lovely, doesnt seem to have been terribly 'with it'. I have to let the eggs rest for 24 hours anyway but am concerned about what to do if the Wyandotte eggs don't come tomorrow. The frizzle eggs are very fresh but I don't want to delay setting them for too long.

The plan is to get them all (dozen) under Sheila the Sussex in the spare eglu. However, if theres going to be a delay am I better starting the frizzles off and doing a separate Wyandotte hatch under the speckledy? If so, what can I use to sit her in?

Thanks all.

Brambles.

[Redwing]

If you dont have room for another broody and set of chicks as they grow then I'd hang on a bit longer for the eggs

 

You can set eggs up to three weeks after they were laid but fertility starts declining from day 10 so try to get hold of the silver laced eggs in the next 5 days or so

 

If you are forced to use the other broody she would happily sit in a cat carrier in a safe ventilated shed or garage then use a puppy pen (in shed/garage) or rabbit run (outside) till the chicks are 6 weeks old then remove both mums and combine the chicks

[brambles]

Many thanks for that. I wasn't sure how many days until fertility declines rapidly. It'll be my last hatch this year and they may well end up in the garage if the weather goes chilly! These bantams of ours! X

[brambles]

Eggs are here! A day after the others. How long should I let them settle for? Should I set them tonight? That's one eBay seller I won't be using again despite all his good fb!

[Redwing]

You can get away with setting them tonight yes

 

Dont be too hard on the seller, in order to send the freshest eggs people sometime start an auction before all the eggs have been laid and sometimes then the hens dont oblige and skew the timings a bit!

[brambles]

Thanks redwing , very excited! The poor chap has had them sitting in his house since monday, that's what I was grumbling at, so the sooner the better! It's going to give my boys a good incentive to get to their first week in school.

 

Give Tarzan a cuddle from us, he is very fine.

[Redwing]

Will do, not that I need much encouragement, I dont think I will ever have another cockerel as lovely and as sweet as Tarzan

 

Good luck with the eggs!