Sunday, August 8, 2010

No chicks

No chicks. All that patient work by that patient hen... and no chicks. So we thought we'd give her a second chance by giving her some fresh (and hopefully fertile) eggs. The big question is whether she has the patience to set for another three weeks.

I gathered some eggs and put an "X" on the ends to identify them.


I lifted the hen off her eggs (squawk!) and saw no signs of hatching. Duds!


I added five new (marked) eggs but also left her old ones in place in the touching hope they still have a chance to hatch.


Settling back on the nest...


Tucking the eggs under...


Done. Think she can manage another three weeks?

5 comments:

  1. I know that they have to have enough humidity to hatch. Sometimes they don't hatch if the nest is not on the ground. That could be the reason for no hatch. thought i would share!

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  2. is there a way to know if eggs are fertile or not?

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  3. I have found that when it gets too hot this time of year, my chickens don't get a hatch. In the spring, they hatch plenty easily and they are never nested on the ground.

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  4. My money's on Cluck.

    BTW, today I opened an egg that had a nearly full-term chick inside.

    We get our eggs from a dear lady who's well past eighty, and I guess she somehow missed this one while candeling them. I always break them individually into a small bowl, and this is one of those times it really paid off. lol I won't say anything to her....she's too dear and her eggs are just too good. I wouldn't embarrass her for the world. And it smelled fine...a surprise to me. I tossed it into the woods down by the creek, so some critter...a little spotted skunk or a raccoon...will be a happy camper tonight.

    It reminded me of being a kid and hearing the old-timers talk about eating 'pips.' (No, not the ones that backed up Gladys Knight.) Does anyone here know about them? I've never eaten one, and don't plan to. Thanks, but no thanks.

    Good luck with the eggs...hoping for chicks for ya.

    A. McSp

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  5. Tell ol' Cluck/Hen-rietta/KFC Reject that if she doesn't produce a brood in the next 3 weeks, she'll be the main course. That should inspire her! (Just kidding)

    Anonymous Twit
    Somewhere in Central Oregon, trying to find my way home.

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