Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I think the time has finally come! Penny is broody!! 

So, I have a couple of questions about hatching...

1. Has anyone hatched eggs they’ve bought from eBay under a broody and how did you get on? Do they really go through the post OK?

2. Any advice about the best / easiest / most humane way to dispatch cockerels? I’m going to try to sell them or give them to people I know but I know that’s unlikely to work out.

3. Has anyone used and Eglu Go as a broody coop and how did that work out? Any tips?

Think I’ve settled on giving her 6 blue laced Wyandotte bantam and 6 pekin bantam eggs. She’ll (she’s a Wyandotte bantam but she’s a fair size) be able to cover that many won’t she?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She might struggle to cover that many TBH, although there will be a few duds that she will probably reject anyway, or you will reject when you candle at 7 days. As you know, I would'nt touch a Go, but have hatched many times in a Classic. Make sure that you have a non-slip flooring to put in for the first week or so while the chicks are finding their feet and their legs are strengthening. I used to use that rubberised stuff that the sell to stop thing slipping around on trays, or stop rugs from moving.

Ebay eggs will need to be rested and turned for a couple of days before you set them, make sure that the bird has had preventative lice/mite drops before you start, spray the broody coop liberally with total mite kill and then powder with Buz Busters. She will be in there for. Awhile, will be getting nice and warm, which mites love!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry DM ( and anyone else willing to listen!) more stupid questions- think I’m probably worrying too much!!!

House is cleaned, disinfected and mite killed. Broody is moved into it and it still resolutely broody (just swore at me very badly when I went to check she was ok), and eggs have arrived - really well packed in snug polystyrene blocks (never mind the fact that the post man assumed no one was in yesterday and so took them back to the post office even though OH was actually at home :evil: :roll:) and look ok.

I picked them up at lunch time and they’ve been sitting pointed end down since then - hopefully that’s right. You said to turn them - through what orientation do you mean? I’m assuming not upside down? And turn them and then leave them at a different angle or just give them a turn and then sit them back pointy end down again?

Also (last question for now) - is there a best time / way to put them under my broody? Give them to her a couple at a time so she can put them under? Or kick her out for her food / water / poo and put them all in the nest for when she comes back?

Thankyou!

Edited by mullethunter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well - she’s been a bit in and out today - not settled brilliantly in her broody coop and wanted to get back to her proper nest, but this evening I decided it was worth a punt and when she was out for a drink I put the eggs in. She went straight in to investigate and is now pancaked totally covering all 12! Up to her now. 🤞🏻

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This morning she came out to have a drink, some pellets and a scratch around, but was back on the eggs in less than 15 mins. I’ve just had a look and offered her some sunflower hearts but she’s in the proper broody trance 🙂

2 of the eggs weren’t under her and were completely cold, so I’ve taken them away leaving her with 10. Either she somehow knows those two are no good (is that possible at this stage?) or, and this is probably more likely, 12 was just too many.

Thats OK, if 12 actually ended up hatching that’d be too many for me too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 was probably too many which is why she kicked two out. She won't know this early but they can kick out dudds later into incubation as fertile and unfertile eggs cool down at different rates but I'm not sure if they really do know! The day you set them is day 0, candle them on day 7 and remove the infertiles.

I've used a Go for broodies a few times, take the tray out and use lots of bedding.

You will probably struggle to sell or find homes for the boys so being prepared to dispatch them is the most responsible thing. I use the broomstick method and there may be a course local that you can book on to learn.
Good luck!

Eglu Go in Cube Run broody.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, GrannyTrish said:

You've got me intrigued but at the same time, I'm not sure if I want to know! Can you whisper it?! O.o:lol:

You can find clips on youtube about this. Made someone else google it for me once... not sure why I didn’t want to myself. But then again, I bring all animals to the vet for a soft departure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Lewis. I know someone who dispatches using the traffic cone method so if I chicken out (bad choice of words) I can get help!

Sounds like I’ve already done as you suggest with the Go / tray etc - have put loads of Easichick bedding in so the corner she’s in is the lowest bit so no eggs should roll away.

Thanks all - up to Penny now so fingers crossed she’ll see it through. She’s 5 and a half but I’ve never let her sit before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, GrannyTrish said:

You've got me intrigued but at the same time, I'm not sure if I want to know! Can you whisper it?! O.o:lol:

Cervical dislocation, so separating the vertebrae in the neck from the head. Basically place a broomstick over the back of the head and use opposing forces - won't go into detail on hatching thread incase others don't want to know but happy to discuss it on another thread or PM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Cat tails said:

You can find clips on youtube about this. Made someone else google it for me once... not sure why I didn’t want to myself. But then again, I bring all animals to the vet for a soft departure.

It will be the vet for our girls, too, if and when the time comes.

3 hours ago, Lewis said:

Cervical dislocation, so separating the vertebrae in the neck from the head. Basically place a broomstick over the back of the head and use opposing forces - won't go into detail on hatching thread incase others don't want to know but happy to discuss it on another thread or PM.

Thanks, Lewis, I've got the picture now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, day 6 and I got impatient and had a go candling.

And...I’m not sure!!!!

Ive watched so many YouTube clips and looked at tons of photos so I thought I’d know what I was looking at, but I’m really not totally sure about any of them. I think one of them is infertile, I think 2 are growing properly, I think 1 may have a blood line and be dead, but the other 5 I really just don’t know :/

I’m just going to leave them all for now - is there going to be any time when it will be easier to tell? It wasn’t very dark - maybe it would’ve been easier if I’d waited for it to be darker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I candled on day 12 and out of 9, 5 weren’t growing. I removed those (broke them all open to check I was right and 4 just looked like ‘normal’ eggs and the fifth I could see it had just started to develop but only for a day or two) leaving Penny with 4 - 2 pekin and 2 Wyandotte.

I’ve just candled for the last time on the evening of day 17, and I can see movement inside!!! Very excited now. All along I’ve been convinced it’s not going to work and now I’m starting to think it might! 

I’m happy with how the pekin eggs look, but two things concern me about the Wyandotte ones. Firstly the shape - they’re more narrow and pointy than most eggs - hopefully that won’t impact the chicks but I know it has the potential to. Secondly one of the eggs looks like it almost has two lobes to its air cell. Any thoughts on that?

Just fingers crossed all 4 hatch and I get at least 1 hen 🤞🏻

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...