Diary

Hatching eggsRSS feed

Posted: Thursday 6 July, 2006

by Rosemary at 9:53am in Poultry 1 comment Comments closed

For those of you waiting with bated breath for an update on our second attempt to hatch eggs, I can confirm that it was not a success. Once again, the incubator broke down. It really is most disappointing. It was working fine, apparently, then the heating element packed in, same as last time.

We are now waiting for Parcelforce to pick it up to return it to Ascott to be repard again.

Four out of the six eggs were fertile, too.

Ah, well. Third time lucky, maybe.

Comments

Brad K.

Thursday 6 July, 2006 at 4:01pm

Two thoughts here. I have a small styrofoam incubator that only really works when the temp stays constant. Like in the kitchen in the spring. I use a 'rolling' incubation -- add eggs a few each day until it is full, add more as the area of fertile eggs change into chicks (or get discarded, a week after their neighbors hatch). I use a marker to write the date on the egg to help track when an egg is expected to hatch.

This spring I left the eggs under the hens, and haven't gathered eggs. Sloppy, I know, but it has been a strange year. I just check at feeding/water time for any chicks, and pull them to my brooder as they appear. I have 4 hens and 2 guinea hends, 5 chicks about 5 weeks old, 8 chicks from 3 weeks to 10 days, and 12 from 5 to 10 days. I plan on cleaning out any remaining eggs so I can start gathering again, now that the 'hatch' seems to have finished.

I have had very good luck with chicks in my brooder, while leaving them with the hens haven't been good at all. I keep Banties and Guineas in my small (8x12) chicken house, just a small flock to help manage pests around the barn and yard.

Comments are now closed for this post.

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS