What are you currently incubating/brooding?

[Nicos]

7 eggs under a broody!!!

I've been offered more eggs on Sunday/Monday from a friend ( different gene pool- similar breed)- so I'm hoping for another broody between now and then.

happy happy happy!!!!

[MarkN]

I hatched some Appenzellers last year, gold laced, stunning birds! Very tame, what type are you hatching?

Sorry MrsC, only just saw this. We went for the black and white Spitzhaubens. Starting to feather up nicely already and they are only a week old.

[Snadger]

Got one egg out of 10 of Sids protege pippimg this evening. (Hope it doesn't have too many of Sids sadistic attributes)

[Snadger]

My next door plot neighbours have just hatched 2 chicks from there silkies. The Dad is a miniature game bird! Should make for an interesting cross?

[jessmorris]

Tee hee, I read Petal's post too quickly and thought she said she was hatching rubber ducks. Sigh.
My eggs are developing nicely, but not of high fertility, but then I didn't really expect them to be. I think I'll get about 3 wyandottes and 3 silkies out of 16. The Amrocks should hatch on Monday so looking forward to them too!!

[Snadger]

Five out of 10 up til now, also two three week old birds in the dog cage!

[Glutton4...]

Stop it you lot, spring is in the air, and I'm getting the urge.

Luckily none of my 'Laydees' are broody. Luckily I have no incubator. But a friend has...

Nooooooooo stop it, stop it...

[petal]

go on, you know you want to! Today I have set the brinsea 40 with eggs and the novital 20(silver laced wyandotte, silkie, pekin, sablepoot, brahma, sussex, orpington, araucanaxsilkie, silkiexnaked neckhorror...) Got 20 runner ducks in the other. 3/4 weeks from now we may have more fluffies. inundated with calls from people wanting point of lay(all sold!!) might have to put prices up, fair reflection of work involved and cost of feed, me thinks.

[Suechooks]

Result!

Well we've now got some chicks! The Cream Legbars 5 out of 6 (local breeder) but wouldn't you know 2 girls and 3 boys The Barnevelder 3 out of 6 (ebay ) - no idea about those. The broody Silkie hatched 1 Hamburg. I've removed the Araucana egg she was sitting on to the incubator to give it another 24 hours as she was sitting tight and I was getting worried the little chick wasn't being fed and watered - it hatched on Friday evening.
The other Silkie was determinedly sitting on a golf ball and a pot egg so gave in and got her 6 Araucana eggs locally which she's now happily brooding. Fingers crossed -she's in a dog cage inside the main coop so will be able to brood in peace without the others trying to lay around her

[OverWyreGrower]

The Barnevelder 3 out of 6 (ebay ) - no idea about those.

Think our Barnevelders were about 5 or 6 weeks before we could sex them...

[vicky]

Unfortunately my frizzle/polish called Elvis has become broody and my finger accidently slipped whilst on ebay and hit the 'buy it now' button on some cream legbar eggs...I wonder if the hubby will notice....

[Suechooks]

Unfortunately my frizzle/polish called Elvis has become broody and my finger accidently slipped whilst on ebay and hit the 'buy it now' button on some cream legbar eggs...I wonder if the hubby will notice....

Naaah he won't - just tell him she laid them and hid away!!!
One of my Cream legbar chicks has died - wouldn't you know it was one of the 2 girls, the boys are rampaging round the brooder! The last hatched Barnevelder is a bit feak and weeble but looks to be perking up now so everything crossed! The single Hamburg chick under the Silkie has made its debut this morning - soooooooooooooooooo cute!

[polo]

I have a broody alert going on - 1st day my maran has been sitting and went crazy as soon as I went near. Growling and hackles up. She was stooping everyone else getting in the nest box so had to put the dividers back in. Will keep an eye out and see if she is serious about it.

Just checking to see if my friend of a friend still needs a broody.... I'm happy to let her brood just for the experience and give him the young ones back.

I have a question though - I would keep her in the other run, still in sight of the other hens - how easy would it be to re-integrate her? She is quite anti-social at the best of times?

Any other observations I need to think about? I know they will need different food.

Polo

[jessmorris]

Ermm, I guess that you might need to keep mama with the new chicks for few weeks til they're feathered up before you give them back to your friend. I think it might distress the hen if you gave them back too soon, and they take a while before they can keep warm enough on their own..
As for brooding, get to it - its a fantastic experience! I keep my broodies with the other hens until about 2 days before the hatch when I divide them off with their own little area in the coop. After the hatch when the chicks are strongly moving (1-2 days old) I move ma and chicks to a guinea pig hutch for a week, so they are warm and dry (I have small bantams, if this sounds a bit crowded!). Then if its warm enough they go to their own broody coop away from the other birds with a grass run. I also put bricks round it to keep drafts off a bit, and cover the part of the run with plastic so they can be outside and dry.
I probably worry too much but baby bantams are tiny lil fellas.

I think everyone has their own method, it has to work for you really.

Have fun,
C

[Nicos]

Have transferred Betty's 7 eggs over to Beyonce ( and got 8 new smaller - new bloodline-banty eggs under Betty)

2 hrs late 2 other gals went broody...well I can tell you here and now gals- I really can't be persuaded to put any more eggs under any more of you- so forget it...OK!!!!!


I'm really VERY chuffed- fingers crossed they all hatch!