Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE => Topic started by: GSF on July 27, 2016, 03:50:49 pm
-
We've got our 2nd broody hen on eggs. The first one set on 8 or 9, one was unfertilized, two had dead chicks and the other five hatched. Unfortunately two went missing, one one day and the other the next day. Somehow they had found a way out (that we couldn't find) and I believe the absent neighbor's starving cats got them (another story another time). We then moved them into my 30x50 metal shed for a week or so. Also we added another layer of wire then we put them back in there. It's been about a week and all's well.
Our second hen is past her first week. She had been walking around about a couple weeks making her broody sounds. I loaded up the nest that she lays in with golf balls, after about 3 days she took to them. Since we were only getting about 2-3 eggs a day after 4 days I started removing the golf balls out and put the new eggs in there. She said, brock brock you I ain't a setting no more. About a day and a half later I put a couple of golf balls back in towards the front of the nest and she's back on it.
Has anyone ever had a broody hen leave the nest for a couple hours, as in the eggs are cold to the touch? Did they hatch? I had one leave for a long while and they still hatched. I read a story recently. This girl finally had a hen go broody. Her husband took care of things one evening when she had to work late. The next morning he told her he got the eggs in..,
-
I had two chickens sit this year and both went to the wrong nest for who knows how long before we caught it. Not more then half a day though. Both hatched some of the eggs and it was warm out. I don't seperate my broody hens from the rest and so they fight or when the broody hen gets up once a day to poop the others will hop in and lay. I always mark the eggs and pull out the new ones. My hatch rate is probly only about 50 percent. Last year I had one get off and none hatched and I put more under her and she set for over 40 days to get babies. They are pretty dedicated but do get mixed up at times. I only check once or twice a day but most times it works out.
Good luck
gww
-
..counting down - less than a week.