The first egg I cracked was just an egg.
The second was bad and exploded.
The third had a chick inside nearly ready to be born!
Hurriedly I washed the eggs and put them back under the hens.
The rest of the day was taken up with scything, tool sharpening and a trip to St Girons to see the DDE with Philippe. A definite return to hot weather after a few days of cloud and showers.
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Hi Lee, Greetings from America.
As I figure you started with about 12 eggs per hen. This number is probably a bit high. For a small hen, 4-5 eggs. If you have a large hen 8-9 eggs or so might be good. I suspect next year if you set fewer eggs you will do good. I hope you were not counting them before they hatched, many do that :)
Also when the eggs start to "peep" just let them get out of the shells on their own. Everyone wants to help the chicks out, but it is bad!! let them get out of the shells on their own, NO PICKING/HELPING! they will be weak if you help them! (don't ask me why).
By the way, did you ever find your lost sheep? CHIP
Hi Chip
Never found lost sheep (suspect she was rustled for a spit roast, apparently not that uncommon here).
If nothing hatches in the next few days, I'll probably clear out the old eggs and start afresh with half a dozen marked eggs. Problem has been that other hens have been laying in the nestbox and the broody hen had been adding them to her clutch unbeknown to me and now I don't know which are which!
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