Broody Bantam hen with 16 eggs

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Broody Bantam hen with 16 eggs

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mother hen

Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 6
Location: France

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 05 5:53 pm Post subject: Broody Bantam hen with 16 eggs

Hello all you chicken lovers, may I ask for advice?
10 days ago out here in ccccchilly France (minus 10 degrees) I discovered a broody hen on 16 eggs in the woodshed of my sister-in-laws garden ( it's a holiday home) we don't know where she came from but all I could think was it's freezing and she had no food or water and my husband who's a sucker for the small and defencless, he picked her and her eggs up popped them in a box and brought her back home and she is now safely installed in our hen house still sitting on the eggs. How can I tell if they are fertalized? I tried putting a torch behind an egg and the light didn't go through it, is that good?
in anticipation of enlightenment, Mother hen.

organic john

Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 95
Location: Raunds, Northants

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 3:50 pm Post subject:
if the egg is dark then its usualy a good egg and quite well on by the sounds of it if your not sure what you are looking for the look at a bought egg and see what a fresh egg is like and compair

joker

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 188
Location: hiding

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 3:57 pm Post subject:

Did you do this in a dark room it is a common mistake that people do this with the lights on or in daylight it is much easier in the dark
also if you attach a toilet roll tube to the front of a torch this focuses the light much better ( Home made candling lamp ) if you still have no sucess chucks should hatch after 20 days if nothings happened in 22 since you found them break 1 open in a bucket and see whats inside

Good Luck

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 4:25 pm Post subject:

joker wrote:

if nothings happened in 22 since you found them break 1 open in a bucket and see whats inside

Don't do this inside the house. It takes a long time to get rid of the smell of addled eggs

joker

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 188
Location: hiding

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 4:28 pm Post subject:
Good point i forgot to mention that bit

mother hen

Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 6
Location: France

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 6:29 pm Post subject: broody bantam hen
Thanks for the advice, I tried the torch on one of my other hens eggs and it lit up like a xmas tree unlike the bantam egg so now I am very excited that I'm going to be a Grannie! I'll keep you posted if and when something exciting happens! Mother hen

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 6:34 pm Post subject:
Congratulations!!!

mother hen

Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 6
Location: France

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 4:28 pm Post subject: Broody bantam hen with 16 eggs

Erm,...... what exactly will I do with the babies when they are here? they are in a small enclosed area of the Hen house because I've been told that it is difficult to add another hen to an already established flock and will the little babies be safe from the other Hens? and isn't this the wrong time of year for them to go outside? How soon would the Hen want to take them outside? AND I have five cats!!!, will the mother protect them? so many questions zipping about in my head! Help!
Mother Hen

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 4:47 pm Post subject:

The other hens might try to have a go at the chicks, particularly the ones lower down in the pecking order. Mum will do all the work though - keeping other hens away, keeping babies warm, etc. You could keep them inside until the chicks have fledged if it is very cold, but they will probably be OK even if you don't - they will just run back to Mum if they are cold.
My main worry would be the cats - they might be a bit too interested in the chicks before they are big enough to defend themselves. Could you make a small run and separate house (I use an old rabbit hutch and an 8 x 4 run) to keep them in for a few weeks?

mother hen

Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 6
Location: France

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 5:13 pm Post subject: broody bantam hen and 16 eggs

Thanks for your suggestions Judith, I do have two large rabbit runs in the garden and as soon as the weather warms up the chicks and mum will get to inspect them more closely! oooh thats a relief! the cats will get the water squirter treatment on the first day to deter them also I will net over the top of the runs too for added security to keep the pesky critters out, birds of prey etc
Thanks again, Mother hen

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 7:05 pm Post subject:
That sounds like a good arrangement. Keep us posted about the happy event!

Guest

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 7:26 pm Post subject: broody bantam with 16 eggs
I certainly will Mother hen

Guest

Posted: Mon Mar 28, 05 8:34 pm Post subject:

In all the excitment with the new chicks I forgot to keep you posted! Out of the 16 eggs, we got 9 chicks, eight on the 1st day and 1 more the next day, that one is so much smaller than the others. I got some good photo's of them hatching and to date we haven't had any fatalities although last week one of my cats got in the pen and had a chick in his mouth when I spotted him and shouted, fortunatly he dropped it, but it was none the worst for it's little feline adventure! aaah bless
Mother Hen

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 05 9:34 am Post subject:
Congratulations! Some real Easter chicks! I bet you haven't got a lot of work done since they hatched. There is something really irresistable about the little bundles of fluff scurrying around peeping their heads off.

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