Poultry Keeping General Discussion #1

[Dansta]

any one have any ideas how to check if eggs are feralised? i've tired the torch light to the egg, but im not sure what i'm looking for...and with about 18eggs under one chook...and another clucky i want to know which ones i can move under the other clucky chook.

[Floweryfields]

Dansta - how long has she been sitting? You will not see anything candling until about day 5 at the earliest and more likely day 7. You definitely should see something then if they are developing. /What are you using as your candler? You need a really direct beam of light - I have a big torch, make a cardboard cut out to cover the entire surface of the torch. Then cut a hole in the centre and use a toilet roll in this hole. This makes a nice beam of light and you sit or hold the egg over the end.

This is really the only way to tell an egg is developing other than in 21 days time if they hatch.

Also when you are looking - a fertile egg should have a nice defined air pocket at one end. This will appear as a clear spot. To begin with, in early stages, you will just see a small black speck. As it develops you will see veins begin and later the heart beating and blood pulsing, it really is so amazing actually!

[RhiChiChi]

We have got two Isa browns and usually get 1-2 eggs per day. They are fed pellets and any fruit, veg & grain scraps - is that right? One egg per chook per day? If I give them lots of pellets there are heaps left over the next day - they go made for kitchen scraps

[Dansta]

rhichi yep that sounds right. bloke down the road from us has two isa browns and they're one egg-a-day chooks too. and love love love kitchen scraps i fed them for 3 days and was shocked they didn't eat the pellots but they'd eat *every* last scrap!

last night i checked out the eggs and there was like really big dark patch and then the air sack. but the dark patch was not a unifrom shape on all of them...any clues as to what that means??

[Jennifer13]

Dansta I've been told they'll only sit on eggs if some are fertilised.

[HotI]

nah, we don't have a rooster and our chooks still go clucky.

[Livinthedream]

Dansta. how long do you think the hen has been sitting on them? Cause they sound fertile to me, and probably over 14 days. either that, or they are rotten. LOL
If you candle an egg for long enough, like 30 seconds or more, frome the air sack end or even side on, you should be able to see the chick move.
Try it on your whitest eggs, they are the easiest ones to see into.
How many are fertile? Do they all appear to be around the same gestation, or are some noticably smaller?

[Jennifer13]

nah, we don't have a rooster and our chooks still go clucky.

I kinda assumed the presence of a rooster.

I know they *can* get clucky, but if there's a rooster I guess it's more likely they're fertilised.

[Floweryfields]

I kinda assumed the presence of a rooster.

I know they *can* get clucky, but if there's a rooster I guess it's more likely they're fertilised.

I think she meant your comment that they won't sit on eggs unless some are fertile, this is untrue as hens with no rooster still go clucky and sit on eggs. I've just had 3 cluckys sitting on unfertile eggs for weeks.

[Rainbow_Mumma]

2 of our eggs hatched one 2 days ago and one this morning so im playing with fluffy chicks. Now to wait and see if the others hatch as theres4 chooks sitting on eggs.

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[Bella29]

Hi girls,

We are planning to move into a new house in three weeks, which is 1.3 acres and I can finally get some chooks!!! As you can tell I am super excited. I am planning already!! Anyway, just thinking about what I need to do before I get chooks, and what kinds to get. I just want good layers who are gentle with DD's. Any advice??

[Rainbow_Mumma]

bella yay!
first if it doesnt have one you need a coop, make sure holes in fencing are small and it needs a roof to stop snakes, foxes, crows and other this getting your eggs and chooks
Your coop needs a few nesting boxes and a perch as they like to sleep up high.
We have isa browns they lay well for us sometimes even twice a day, we also have black ones not sure of breed but these are our nesters always going clucky and turningour eggs into fluffy chicks


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[Dansta]

woot!
bella a coop is good. are you thinking free-range or in a run? if its a run with chook wire (or netting) over the top make sure its not tight as foxes love "taught" stuff for walk on.
nesting boxes are a plus (old draws with the front removed are good.) mine nest on the shed floor dispite me having boxes in there! if you want babies you'll need a rooster. if not they'll lay with out. cant help with breeds i have two isa browns who lay some times. and the rest are bantom/slilkys that i got given. if you want them used to your DD's get the day-old ones. or so. 24hrs of imprinting plus isa's are fairly friendly. mine will run down the yard should i call them. and grain. we buy 25kg for $14 here and it lasts about amonth. we where buying laypallots but they didn't like them. so they get all the kitchen scraps and any fallen fruit from our place or next door. and when my veggie patch died they started to clean that out for me too.

AFM: 6 baby chooks! i've named three - that hached yesterday as Delta, Tango and Charli. the next three i'll have to look at more closely before naming. Mardi is still stitting on about 4 or 5 more eggs so i'll wait a few more days and see if any more hach out. i'll turff the rest if they dont hach, or candle them again. to see. but i just hope we dont lose them - like we have the others. but i guess that's life.

[Rainbow_Mumma]

another 2 hatchlings for us this morning Still 11 eggs being sat on. we got our chooks when they were 8 weeks old they are great with the kids, the kids feed them, collect eggs etc they love it.
We even found a few chooks nestled up with the pig yesterday.
Ours get let out in the morning and get free roam of our 2 acres then locked up at dusk.

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[nickle730]

We have added to our chook family in the last few days - we already have two fluffy little bantams, and now we also have three 14 week old wyandottes. I only went to get two but there were three of them left and I couldn't leave one behind! They have been named... Curry, Chilli and Satay. Apparently Wyandottes will only grow to bantam size but will lay Isa Brown sized eggs? Sounds painful...

The bloke we bought them from said they will start laying in about a month, anyone know if that's correct?

[Bella29]

Dansta, how many chooks is that much feed, feeding? Congrats on your hatchlings!

Same for u MrsS!

I was thinking of building an open topped coop, with some high perches and nesting boxes on the floor, although I am considering now whether I should enclose the top. I plan to let them free range in the morning and lock them back up at dusk. I think I might end up with about 10 chooks eventually, but I might add slowly. Get some pol australorps and then when the first one goes broody, order some pretty chooks as eggs for a bit of fun . Or I might just get some chicks now as well, so they are sexed. I have been pining lots of different breeds on pininterest last night lol! Some are just so pretty!


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[Rainbow_Mumma]

i would top your coop otherwise you risk foxes etc
we got through 1 25kg bag a fortnight for 6 chooks and a rooster but they get fruit from our trees too and whetever scraps the pigs allow them to share

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[Dansta]

Make that 7 babies. Helped peeper hatch.
I now have 18 chooks (inc the babies, lol) so 11 adult chooks.