Soggy run

[cluckingmad]

Hi all,

Just picked up four lovely pekin girls, they were running with an unrelated cockeral and have started laying.. so.... if we want to try letting the eggs hatch, how do we go about it? We'd probably use a broody (both our sussex girls are broody and apparently the pekins will go broody at the first opportunity...)

 

So far we only have the one egg, don't know if we have to leave it in with the hens in the nest box, bring it in, keep it warm... etc etc etc. We've done lots of reading about hatching but always planned on letting a hen go broody then popping some hatching eggs under her, so this is somewhat different territory!

[Redwing]

The first thing to consider is accomodation for the broody and chicks, it needs to be secure and separate from the others. The chicks will then need somewhere big enough to grow on till they can be introduced to the others at around 18 weeks or so

 

Eggs stay viable for two or three weeks but really only reliably so for a week after which fertility declines dramatically so if you want to hatch the eggs save them up for a week (keep them indoors in an egg box) once you have enough eggs they can go under a broody, put them all under on the same day

 

Bear in mind that a move can disrupt laying so you may not get many eggs in the week window and also that you may not have a broody when you have a good number of eggs

 

Do read up on the subject, chicks are very cute but you will get cockerels dont forget, it can be more trouble than its worth sometimes!

[cluckingmad]

Thanks Redwing We've already found homes for any cockerals, and am currently in the process of sneakily watching loooooots of eglus/coups on ebay as suitable broody coups (plus always feel happier with a spare coop and run, just in case one of the girls gets injured/sick/new additions)...

 

Think a good read of books/forum needs to be done..