The Poultry Keeper

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

I have got some fertile eggs for my broodys...but as is typical I have gone a little overboard (9 bantam eggs from Pollypekin - thankyou and 12 mixed eggs large fowl such as light sussex. RIR etc.- not quite sure what i am getting picking them this afternoon)

How many eggs can a pekin sit on?....I have two sitting together so want to put some under each of those and i have an octagon 10 but don't have much success with it.

I am hoping that when i candle if any under the broodys aren't goers I can replace them with ones in incubator that are developing. I am not keen on the whole incubator thing as past tries have not been good.

Knobby · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:43 pm Post subject:

What sort of troubles have u had with your inc Gina ?

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

I think it is the whole humidity problem. 1st none hatched out of 5 then 2 hatched with difficulty out of 6....no humidity meter with oct 10 so going to buy one.

Knobby · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:51 pm Post subject:

I dont have a humidity meter "as such" just a small temp/humidy" digital thingy....it does the job....must cheaper than a proper one too !! I dont usually worry about the humidity till the last three days, then just put loads of cloths half in the water....to make a bigger surface area....it always seems to do the trick (i'll get shot by the pro's now for not being professional enough) I take it the Oct 10 is justa smaller version of the Oct 20 ?????

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

Yes is smaller version and doesn't have digital readout for temp..

The first time i ran it with 1 trough filled and then filled the other one on day 18 and i think it was too wet and they drowned Crying or Very sad

2nd time ran it dry then water in on day 18...better as i got 6 of them to hatch day but then 4 didn't hatch. even the two that did struggled and were helped by me (o.k they can shoot me down now too!)

Found it all quite stressful!

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

mucked up now managed to post same thing 3 times!

Now that is strange...it let me delete one of the posts as it had a cross in the corner but this one hasn't got a cross so will have to stay!

Knobby · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:07 pm Post subject:

Gina, i think youve got a stutter !!
Shhh....i had to help 3 Buff Orps out too !!

Knobby · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:11 pm Post subject:

I would imagine it would be difficult to incubate without a digital temp guage......try one of the things i use for humidity....theyre quite cheap, and do both temp & humidity....i'll take a pic of it later !

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

I can see the argument for not helping them out...I can see that it might a genetic thing and with helping them out it is being further breed in but...there was no way after having one complete failure I wasn't going to help my chick that had got so far out!..

And just like your orps it is doing fine and is now one of the biggest!...

I suppose it has to be followed through to see wether it would lead to its chicks being unable to hatch.

Gina · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 471 Location: Kent

I think I have seen what you have...they are a few pounds from various places?...that is what i am going to get...not going to spend a fortune..done that already!

jaydee67 · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 4:19 pm Post subject:

I've helped chicks hatch before now too. When the membrane has dried or they are making no progress. I have chipped away a bit and left them to try again, always trying to let them do the last push out on their own - helps to get the blood flowing so I've been told.

lilly the pink · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 78 Location: Wiltshire

Hi there

I am guilty of helping chicks too but like Jaydee I don't do all the work for them, just break the shell enough for them to be able to struggle free if they can. Most of the time things are best left alone I think. I have helped some chicks in the past who were too weak to get out and then they just went and died anyway. And once I left a chick alone in the egg cos I could hear it peeping and it took 4 days to hatch but it was fine eventually.