MrsB's and Pearl's first attempt at hatching eggs!

[debbiem]

The eggs arrived by postvan at 10am this morning;





I put crosses on them to tell these ones from the ones to eat and put them under Pearl, with her help. ;D


My daughter's going to be beside herself with excitement when she comes home this afternoon! And she's not the only one. :
We're all prepared for it to come to nothing but it'll be a lot of fun trying.
The eggs are either Silkie, Rhode island Red, Cuckoo Maran( I think that's the brown one) or Light Sussex bantam eggs.

Now we wait.

[emseypop]

Doesn't Pearl look lovely sitting there So approx how many days will it take?

[debbiem]

It should take about 21 days for them to hatch, that's if we're lucky and they do hatch. Pearl's been broody for at least a week but I should think she'll sit it out until they hatch. That's when the fun starts, moving her and brood to somewhere else! I think it's best to see how she bonds with these eggs and move her before the hatching starts, ever the optimist!

[bogmyrtle]

Bless, she looks so content sitting there. How exciting!

[emseypop]

8 days down

[Sleepy]

Jun 26, 2008 11:19:43 GMT 1 @The witch said:

Jun 26, 2008 10:01:29 GMT 1 @emseypop said:

8 days down

You'd think MrsB would have a ticker in her signature block - would you Emsey?

Oh no, much better without one The witch.

[emseypop]

I like the ticker!

[debbiem]

I LOVE it!

Thanks Ritaxxx

I hope at least one of them hatches as Pearl's sitting on them for all her worth. In the seller's feedback there were a few comments about none of them hatching but she sells a lot of them with 100% feedback so fingers crossed.
I did a short movie with her sitting there trilling away and fluffling her feathers but I couldn't transfer it on to Photobucket. First attempt though.
Everything looks very right in there. Pearl made a brief appearance outside yesterday, upset all the other hens, upset herself in the process and then stalked back into the HH.

[4pygmies]

Well good luck Debbie! Are you going to remove her to somewhere separate from the other hens? I think it would be safer.....we used to hatch duck eggs out with our broody hens sometimes and the other hens were evil...they pecked a baby to death on our first hatching - we were sooo upset (well, I was...). Don't want to be an alarmist but better safe than sorry....

[debbiem]

You're right 4P, like you say it's better to be on the safe side. She's undisputedly broody now and has been sitting like a Trojan on those eggs only coming out of the HH when she needs to. EVERYONE is getting pecked because they all wanted to lay their eggs in the same 10" square area of the HH, which is exactly where Pearl is sitting. All of them, Pearl included have bare areas of missing feathers so it really is time for OH to put together a little bijou residence for her and the 'babies'. It'll also save all the angst of dragging out all the unfertilized eggs out from under her every day.
We have just broken up one of my daughter's pink bits of bedroom furniture which she didn't need in her room any more - gosh won't that be a posh house!

[emseypop]

Jun 27, 2008 10:11:57 GMT 1 @debbiem said:

You're right 4P, like you say it's better to be on the safe side. She's undisputedly broody now and has been sitting like a Trojan on those eggs only coming out of the HH when she needs to. EVERYONE is getting pecked because they all wanted to lay their eggs in the same 10" square area of the HH, which is exactly where Pearl is sitting. All of them, Pearl included have bare areas of missing feathers so it really is time for OH to put together a little bijou residence for her and the 'babies'. It'll also save all the angst of dragging out all the unfertilized eggs out from under her every day.
We have just broken up one of my daughter's pink bits of bedroom furniture which she didn't need in her room any more - gosh won't that be a posh house!

Are you tempting fate Mrs B! Pink is for girls after all ;D

[4pygmies]

[cheerypeabrain]

even I'm getting excited now....

[debbiem]

Pearl moved into her bijou residence today along with the eggs. She had a surprisingly short flap before she settled down. There are two rooms in her house and after leaving her alone for an hour to sort herself out we had a peek inside - she had left three eggs in one room and rolled the other three into the other room where she was sitting on them! I hope that means that those three are good'uns! Anyway we put the other three underneath her too.
There is a grill on the right hand side but the only chicken wire we had to hand was one with huge links and Pearl was sticking her head through it so we thought we'd cover her over for a day or two, there's plenty of ventilation in there but we must remember in the next couple of days to get some normal chicken wire for the grill!
Here it is - she's in the right hand side atm;

[debidoos]

I love it!

[4pygmies]

You are sooo posh, Debbie! Well, your broody hen is anyway - I hope she rewards you with a clutch of lovely lady babies....not long now!

[Sweetleaf]

Good luck Pearl! Im keeping my fingerscrossed for you. ;D

[4pygmies]

They need to be fairly small to keep vermin out The witch - our ancient enemy loves baby chicks and egg shell residues.....yuck!

[emseypop]

What a lovely house ;D I wonder if Pearl can tell the good eggs from the bad 'un's? We'll find out in the end I suppose! Not long now.

[debbiem]

Thanks everyone.
The witch I think we'll have to get some smaller wire as this stuff has HUGE holes in it, about the size of a nectarine or even bigger!
Pearl came out this morning for a drink and some food but I'd put the flap down in the main HH so she couldn't go back in there - she did try though so I ended up putting her back in her new house. She settled down really quickly though.

[cheerypeabrain]

GOOD LUCK PEARL!

[debidoos]

Any news yet?

[debbiem]

Nothing yet - she's still sitting there for all she's worth. Yesterday she came out for a while and got a bit confused I think and ended up sitting in the main henhouse with no eggs under her. I think it must be quite a mad time for a broody hen, they must get carried along on a wave of natural instincts that they're powerless to control!
It was quite a fraught affair holding on to her to get her back into her house but she calmed down really quickly - but the way she's looking at me, she's gonna get me when that broodiness is over I think!
Jessie is checking up on her several times a day but no change atm.

[4pygmies]

I doo hope she produces some living chicks! How exciting for you all Can't wait to hear some good news.....

[debbiem]

She stomped off again into the HH this morning when I opened her door. I'm going to put her back on the eggs one more time.
It's Jessie I'm disappointed for, but she's now asking if we can hold the eggs up to the light(when it's dark) to see if there was ever anyone in there so she's not too upset.
I've promised her we'll buy some more fertilized eggs if we get no joy with these ones but I think poor old Pearl should have a rest first! That'll be down to the next one to go broody.