MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

A turf from a garden center (?) I would use a sheet of EPDM rather than neoprene which tends to be soft enough to peck bits out of.

I suppose the garden centre turfs don't have mites or lice or any other insects in them. They'd be pesticided, fungicided, fertilised to look their best on arrival.

 

[BDutch]

If anyone's interested, these are the people I bought the eggs from.

https://www.pipandgrow.com.au/

The lady's name is Hanna and she's very helpful.

Very nice website. Bit I was flabbergasted by the prices they ask for the eggs. Here in NL most eggs from hobbyist breeders only cost € 1,50 on average. That would be approx 2 Au$.

The bantam Amrock eggs I bought last spring were agreed on €6,- or €9,- for 6 eggs (dont remember) and then the lady gave me a box with 10 eggs for the agreed price bc she had too many eggs anyway.

 

[MaryJanet]

Very nice website. Bit I was flabbergasted by the prices they ask for the eggs. Here in NL most eggs from hobbyist breeders only cost € 1,50 on average. That would be approx 2 Au$.

The bantam Amrock eggs I bought last spring were agreed on €6,- or €9,- for 6 eggs (dont remember) and then the lady gave me a box with 10 eggs for the agreed price bc she had too many eggs anyway.

Well, the price is what the customers are willing to pay. She was sold out of two of the breeds I wanted, so clearly people are buying her eggs. I don't hold it against her.

 

[BDutch]

So here's Mary's Hatchery.

View attachment 3963478

View attachment 3963479

The nest box is wider than the one on the old little coop. But it has a slatted floor, which worries me. I'm going to line it with something insulative. Not sure what, will keep thinking.

View attachment 3963481

The model is basically the same as the chicken coop I started with ages ago.
The slatted floor is strange though. I would fill it up with clay/loam. Add some extra.. Make a dish form in and put hay or other bedding on top. The hollow makes it easier for Mary to keep the eggs warm.

 

[MaryJanet]

The model is basically the same as the chicken coop I started with ages ago.
The slatted floor is strange though. I would fill it up with clay/loam. Add some extra.. Make a dish form in and put hay or other bedding on top. The hollow makes it easier for Mary to keep the eggs warm.

If her nest is going to be in the roosting section of the coop, the slats won't be a factor in warming/cooling the eggs.

She's very good at nesting and always makes a bowl if there's enough straw. I'll get some more straw today so she has an extremely thick layer in the roosting section to make a bowl out of - 40cm thick to start with should allow her plenty for a deep bowl without it getting too thin (and cold) at the bottom.

A sheet of ply in the nest box section will prevent little claws falling through.

 

[MaryJanet]

Mary got up and had her usual couple of hours of self-care.

The good news is that she went back to her new nest and not her old one. So that was a very easy switch. I'll give her a couple of fake eggs tonight just to keep her thinking about babies until she has her proper eggs.

What if she doesn't sit out the hatch? Should I get an incubator ready?

 

[BDutch]

What if she doesn't sit out the hatch? Should I get an incubator ready?

You can trust her (I would) or use an incubator until the chicks are due to hatch.

If you collect the eggs on Tuesday, you should store the eggs point down and wait another day before you replace the fake eggs.

 

[LozzyR]

Be a great meeting.

Just a stone’s throw mate!

If you’re ever in Sydney though, that’s definitely doable.

 

[Shadrach]

Mary got up and had her usual couple of hours of self-care.

The good news is that she went back to her new nest and not her old one. So that was a very easy switch. I'll give her a couple of fake eggs tonight just to keep her thinking about babies until she has her proper eggs.

What if she doesn't sit out the hatch? Should I get an incubator ready?

No!. Let the hens get on with it no matter the outcome. If one loses a few eggs so be it.

 

[MaryJanet]

You can trust her (I would) or use an incubator until the chicks are due to hatch.

Maybe we didn't understand each other?

I was imagining a scenario in which Mary does well for most of the incubation but quits before the end. What would you do with the eggs in that situation?