Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Egg #2
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 164496" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>I'm really not sure. If you live in a built-up area, chances are Herbert has never met a rooster because roosters crow and annoy the neighbours. But if in doubt, then keep the eggs inside in a cool place (but not cold like the fridge) and keep them dry. To trick her into going broody, you would need to make some fake eggs to fill the nest - you blow a shop-bought egg (by making a hole in one end and a tiny hole in the other, you blow through the tiny hole and the egg contents come out the larger hole, catch the contents in a bowl and use it in an omelette) and then fill the egg with sand to about 65 g (depending on how big Henrietta's eggs are) and plug the hole with candle wax.</p><p></p><p>No guarantee it will work, she might be of a breed which has had "broody" tendencies bred out.</p><p></p><p>If you succeed, she may not stay broody for long enough. You would need to provide for her a water bowl nearby, a food bowl nearby and a dust bath (a very large bowl of dry sand is good). An alternative (may be needed also) is to pick her up and dust her and the nest with flea powder after a week or more of sitting.</p><p></p><p>Alternatively - if it's chicks you want to hatch, get yourself a bantam and a setting of fertile eggs. They needn't be chook eggs but water birds could be a problem because the eggs need to be sprinkled with water in the last week, for water birds. If you get guinea fowl fertile eggs be prepared for apparently suicidal chicks - guinea fowl are so stupid they can drown in their water bowls. Mind you, so can chook chicks - to prevent this, you need to either have water in a dripper bottle for the chicks, or in a bowl filled with pebbles or an extruded brick (you know, the sort with holes through them). A chick that falls in can then save itself. Unless it's a guinea fowl chick, of course.</p><p></p><p>If you hatch out chicks, the law of averages says that about half will be roosters. That means they will eventually begin to crow, and then fight. It's not pretty. And don't believe the fairy tales about roosters "crowing to greet the dawn". When your Pavarotti-wannabe crows on the half hour, every half hour, through the night, you will find out how friendly your neighbours aren't. And when you come home to find your roosters lying in bloody, feathery corpses strewn round the yard then you will understand how fighting birds can do a lot of damage to each other.</p><p></p><p>That's why, if you hatch out roosters, you need to eliminate all but one (and that one too, if you want to stay in good with your neighbours).</p><p></p><p>That generally means chopping them. Strong stomachs needed. So don't get too attached to them.</p><p></p><p>You need to chop them preferably before they start to crow. Once they begin to really get going in the crowing department, the meat toughens up. Before that their behaviour will tell you, because they start play-fighting very early. Hens will play-fight too, but not so earnestly.</p><p></p><p>Free-range chicken is generally much tougher, because they get so much exercise compared to the caged birds. A lot more flavour,though. So if you do breed, and need to despatch roosters, the crockpot is a good option. Recipes available on request.</p><p></p><p>So, a strong recommendation - don't wish for chicks. Not unless you're fully prepared to go fully into the farming life in all its seamy glory.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 164496, member: 1991"] I'm really not sure. If you live in a built-up area, chances are Herbert has never met a rooster because roosters crow and annoy the neighbours. But if in doubt, then keep the eggs inside in a cool place (but not cold like the fridge) and keep them dry. To trick her into going broody, you would need to make some fake eggs to fill the nest - you blow a shop-bought egg (by making a hole in one end and a tiny hole in the other, you blow through the tiny hole and the egg contents come out the larger hole, catch the contents in a bowl and use it in an omelette) and then fill the egg with sand to about 65 g (depending on how big Henrietta's eggs are) and plug the hole with candle wax. No guarantee it will work, she might be of a breed which has had "broody" tendencies bred out. If you succeed, she may not stay broody for long enough. You would need to provide for her a water bowl nearby, a food bowl nearby and a dust bath (a very large bowl of dry sand is good). An alternative (may be needed also) is to pick her up and dust her and the nest with flea powder after a week or more of sitting. Alternatively - if it's chicks you want to hatch, get yourself a bantam and a setting of fertile eggs. They needn't be chook eggs but water birds could be a problem because the eggs need to be sprinkled with water in the last week, for water birds. If you get guinea fowl fertile eggs be prepared for apparently suicidal chicks - guinea fowl are so stupid they can drown in their water bowls. Mind you, so can chook chicks - to prevent this, you need to either have water in a dripper bottle for the chicks, or in a bowl filled with pebbles or an extruded brick (you know, the sort with holes through them). A chick that falls in can then save itself. Unless it's a guinea fowl chick, of course. If you hatch out chicks, the law of averages says that about half will be roosters. That means they will eventually begin to crow, and then fight. It's not pretty. And don't believe the fairy tales about roosters "crowing to greet the dawn". When your Pavarotti-wannabe crows on the half hour, every half hour, through the night, you will find out how friendly your neighbours aren't. And when you come home to find your roosters lying in bloody, feathery corpses strewn round the yard then you will understand how fighting birds can do a lot of damage to each other. That's why, if you hatch out roosters, you need to eliminate all but one (and that one too, if you want to stay in good with your neighbours). That generally means chopping them. Strong stomachs needed. So don't get too attached to them. You need to chop them preferably before they start to crow. Once they begin to really get going in the crowing department, the meat toughens up. Before that their behaviour will tell you, because they start play-fighting very early. Hens will play-fight too, but not so earnestly. Free-range chicken is generally much tougher, because they get so much exercise compared to the caged birds. A lot more flavour,though. So if you do breed, and need to despatch roosters, the crockpot is a good option. Recipes available on request. So, a strong recommendation - don't wish for chicks. Not unless you're fully prepared to go fully into the farming life in all its seamy glory. Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Egg #2
Top