MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

I've found someone who does weekly hatches every Thursday until February. I've asked if he will have Australorps and Sussex available this weekend, by which time the bantam eggs will be at day 23/24, or will have hatched in which case, I'll apologise for having caused him the inconvenience of answering my email.

 

[Shadrach]

Friends, if the eggs don't hatch, what are your opinions on giving Mary day old chicks?

Not something I've done for many years and then it was in completely different circumstances.

 

[MaryJanet]

Not something I've done for many years and then it was in completely different circumstances.

How did it go? Was it successful?

 

[MaryJanet]

I've found someone who does weekly hatches every Thursday until February. I've asked if he will have Australorps and Sussex available this weekend, by which time the bantam eggs will be at day 23/24, or will have hatched in which case, I'll apologise for having caused him the inconvenience of answering my email.

I've had the following reply

yes I have these in yesterdays hatch. I will be home from 12.00 noon until 5.00pm tomorrow or all day Sunday. Thanks​

​

So we know there are little ones I can fetch tomorrow (Saturday, day 23) or Sunday (day 24).

If the eggs don't hatch today, it seems reasonable to introduce chicks Saturday night, after dark, without removing the eggs. That way the eggs can continue incubating until Mary is satisfied no one is coming out.

Any thoughts?

 

[LozzyR]

I've had the following reply

yes I have these in yesterdays hatch. I will be home from 12.00 noon until 5.00pm tomorrow or all day Sunday. Thanks​

​

So we know there are little ones I can fetch tomorrow (Saturday, day 23) or Sunday (day 24).

If the eggs don't hatch today, it seems reasonable to introduce chicks Saturday night, after dark, without removing the eggs. That way the eggs can continue incubating until Mary is satisfied no one is coming out.

Any thoughts?

That sounds good to me, but I don’t have any experience at hatching.

 

[MaryJanet]

That sounds good to me, but I don’t have any experience at hatching.

Thanks for being supportive you probably realise how sad I'm feeling.

Hopefully some experienced folks will chime in too.

 

[Shadrach]

How did it go? Was it successful?

It was successful enough for the company to move away from the incubator and broody cage model. We had more trouble with hens changing their minds about being broody. We needed 20+ broodies hatching 4 chicks each in the first year if my memory serves me. We failed the first year but got it the second.

We did get a few hens refuse chicks and those chicks got human raised in a broody coop and that hen was taken out of the breeding cycle initially but some from what I recal that were prone to broodiness did much better sitting and hatching their own.
This was on one of the early free range eggs and meat enterprises. It was a sideline of a reasonably profitable foreward thinking farm. The chicks hatched and raised by a broody rather than incubator and human raised saved a lot of money once it got rolling. All that heat and light and attention costs.

The company went bust in the end. People just weren't prepared to pay the prices required to make a reasonable profit. It would probably work now because the plight of the chicken and peoples interest in their health and the provenance of their food is more widespread.

What I haven't really understood MJ is why you want chicks and why now.

 

[Shadrach]

I've had the following reply

yes I have these in yesterdays hatch. I will be home from 12.00 noon until 5.00pm tomorrow or all day Sunday. Thanks​

​

So we know there are little ones I can fetch tomorrow (Saturday, day 23) or Sunday (day 24).

If the eggs don't hatch today, it seems reasonable to introduce chicks Saturday night, after dark, without removing the eggs. That way the eggs can continue incubating until Mary is satisfied no one is coming out.

Any thoughts?

It's a reasonable plan. Lots of people do similar and it's worked.

 

[LozzyR]

Thanks for being supportive you probably realise how sad I'm feeling.

Hopefully some experienced folks will chime in too.

Very much so, I’d be heartbroken. I think you’re doing a wonderful job.

 

[MaryJanet]

Very much so, I’d be heartbroken. I think you’re doing a wonderful job.

Thank you.