Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: chicken george25 on February 27, 2012, 10:02

Title: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: chicken george25 on February 27, 2012, 10:02
Just checked one of my pekins eggs and its fertile what to do? how can i hatch them? she wont sit on them ether
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: Aunt Sally on February 27, 2012, 10:04
How did you check for fertility ?
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: joyfull on February 27, 2012, 10:15
obviously I am assuming you have an unrelated cockerel running with them in which case yes the odds on of them being fertile is high. Do you want to hatch? What will you do with the cockerels that will hatch - re-homing boys is very difficult and you cant let the brothers and sisters mate.
if you do want to hatch and you don't have a broody then you will need an incubator and a brooder box with heat lamps etc..
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: chicken george25 on February 27, 2012, 10:43
cracked the eggs open and saw they germinal disc was large and white, how much is incubater, i would rehome the boys if they hatch
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: joyfull on February 27, 2012, 11:01
you will struggle rehoming them, most end up having to be culled. An incubator depends on the make, size and also whether it is manual or automatic. Then you will need the brooder box, the heat lamps or electric hen, the chick feeder and drinker, the chick feed, the growers feed etc. It certainly is not cheap and I would also recommend you get a good book to read all about incubating - which will explain the joys and the problems of doing so before embarking on this project.
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: Tony H on February 27, 2012, 13:48
you can get secand hand on e-bay but before you go down the road as joyfull said get a good book on the complete hatch and rearing, i didnt and went into it not realy understanding it all and unfortuanatly the hatch rate was low  :( its very rewarding and a lot of fun hatching eggs just take a deep breath and think it through. There are a few breeders on here who will give you advice if you have questions  :D good look
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: nuzuki on February 27, 2012, 13:59
Why not check out youtube videos or google homemade incubator. You shall need at least one old style light bulb (40-60watt) and a thermometer then put it in a box with air holes at the top and bottom. Its worth giving it a go if your lucky enough to have access to a bunch of fertile eggs.
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: emotion-2003 on February 27, 2012, 20:26
you can buy incubator from ebay or gumtree.buying is better and cheaper than homemade.good luck:)
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: davebeccles on February 27, 2012, 22:48
Fascinating reading the contrasting views of homemade and bought incubators. I have experience of success and disasters with both. Have also seen hatching in an airing cupboard between towels!! Homemade or bought, the crucial factor is maintaining the temperature for the period of the incubation. If a shoe box with a lamp can maintain 37.5 then it has as much chance as a Brinsea with a hyperspace USB and auto adjustment linked to the phases of the moon!
Whatever you try, good luck and welcome to the world of the 21 day maternity ward. :D

Dave
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: Paul Plots on February 28, 2012, 01:40
Sticking my nose in as usual.....

If it were me I'd want to know loads more before landing myself with loads of lovely little fluffy things on two legs - and then not have a plan of what to do next and how....especially as they grow pdq!!

Finally..... a decent egg cup!!

You can tell I'd love to but...dedication, patience and pennies!!
Nice to have a pipe-dream in my case.  ;)
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: Sassy on February 28, 2012, 15:30
Quote from: chicken george25 on February 27, 2012, 10:02
Just checked one of my pekins eggs and its fertile what to do? how can i hatch them? she wont sit on them ether

A hen needs to be broody before she will sit and will never do it to order!! Just because your eggs are fertile does not mean you have to hatch them and the cockerel issue is very real. Pekins aren't really worth eating and rehoming boys is almost impossible. This would them mean you culling them. I don't know if Pekins are auto-sexing, probably not so you would have to spend money and time raising them only to cull them. You can eat fertile eggs just make sure they are stored in the fridge. :) :)
Title: Re: OMG my eggs are fertile help!!!!
Post by: bood77 on March 06, 2012, 08:00
Just bye one