Start of the hatching season!

My little Partridge Wyandotte bantam has come hatching - two weeks earlier than last year. I intend shoving half a dozen Welsummer eggs under her tomorrow. Saturday is not a good day to start anything. As the old people said: "Nuair tosaínn tu dé Sathairn, is fada go críochnú t'ar!" (When you start something on a Saturday, you'll be a long time finishing it!)

I like that saying . I couldn't agree more. Perhaps an English phonetic translation would be appreciated. I too am looking forward to hatching season this year. I will use the bater but if any of my girls go broody then so be it.

I'll have a go at the phonetics Wayland, but this one is difficult -there are a lot of sounds, like the broad d's and broad t's which do not occur in English. The best I can do is: Nooar tuss eean too day saha run, iss fodda gu kreek noo t'arr.

Well, I put her hatching; hopefully, in three weeks time, we'll have a little cluster of future layers or Sunday dinners - I don't mind which!

So how are things going with the laying?. Our hens are still laying well but the Ducks are only giving me the odd egg.

Hen eggs galore, but, like you, only an odd duck egg.

So hows the hatching season going? I want to start incubating soon but I am not sure Gonzo is up to the job. He runs out in the morning, does an Ali shuffle, bumps into a hen. Then she bumps him back! He runs off

We are just about to get some quail eggs in the incubator and then I am looking for some French Black Copper Maran eggs to hatch as there doesn't seem to be many of them around and I love the dark colour of the egg.

We have a Buff Sussex just gone broody and have set her on some Barnevelder eggs. Does anyone have any experience with this breed, is it good or bad. Never heard of them before.

Deryn wrote:We have a Buff Sussex just gone broody and have set her on some Barnevelder eggs. Does anyone have any experience with this breed, is it good or bad. Never heard of them before.

Yes, I've kept them. They're a Dutch breed, I think. They're very docile, friendly chickens and they lay high-quality, dark brown eggs.

I put a half-bantam Welsummer sitting on a half-dozen large Welsummer eggs this morning.

Sounds like a good choice of breed then. Thanks Sean.
Good luck with your hatching. How did your first lot do?

Deryn wrote:Sounds like a good choice of breed then. Thanks Sean.
Good luck with your hatching. How did your first lot do?

First lot just weaned today.  By that, I mean little bantam started laying again and resumed her old place in the main coop, leaving the chicks to fend for themselves. Happily, they followed her into the main coop and are now independent - one future chicken dinner and three future layers. I'll have to start selling pullets soon - I'm getting overstocked! ( Provided Reynard doesn't put in an appearance!)

Good success then. That's good news. Here's to the next successful hatch.

Have any of you lads had problems with the flock attacking the young chicks?

wayland wrote:Have any of you lads had problems with the flock attacking the young chicks?

No, that's something I've never seen; in fact, I find my gurries don't allow anything to go near their chicks - the little bantam I've often mentioned is so ferocious that I wouldn't dare to try and handle one of her chicks - I did once and she immediately flew straight at my face like a Valkyrie! I was lucky to escape uninjured.

Thanks for that Sean. A few years ago I had a clutch hatched under a Dorking hen. Some of the flock pecked at the chicks killing one of them. The flock were commercials, and I thought that as they have had broodiness bred out of them they do not take to chicks. I have only incubated since. My present flock are a mixed bunch of mongrels and so if one goes broody I may well try a sitting again.

We always put our broody hen in an arc separate. But where the others can see through the netting and then always introduce them at night back in with the others when they are big enough

8 out of 8 eggs hatched under Buff Sussex today. Good start to the year. Quails are hatching in incubator too. Any more success stories?
Have 2 more gone broody. Does anyone know someone with hatching eggs. Welsummers or Copper Black Marans preferred.

Nice one Deryn. Not much going on here at the moment. Loads of eggs from the hens and ducks which are selling well at the mart. I am still having problems with me cock!!. I will rephrase that. The Cock we have is a game, arsey little bugger who attacks anything that enters the run but he does not have much success with the girls. I should get rid of him and go for more of a stud, but we reared him and my other half has a soft spot for him The ducks on the other hand are fine. Very pleased with them as the eggs sell at a premium. What breed of Quail do you keep. I am thinking of keeping some of the big ones for the table (bob whites) if I can get some hatching eggs.

Hi Wayland
We have large Japanese quail, they make a decent size for the table and nice size eggs.
How much do you charge for your duck eggs? We charge 3 euro a half dozen. Is this about right?

Deryn, I have purebred Welsummers and can let you have a clutch of their eggs, but there's a potential fly in the ointment. I run three Welsummer cocks with the flock, but also two Welsummer X Buff Sussex cocks and a Partridge Wyandotte bantam cockerel. My idea is: I use the eggs from the pure Welsummers for hatching and, when they hatch, some are purebred and some are not. It doesn't matter to me as I get to keep the purebreds but also have quarter-breds (which are excellent too) and the odd half-bantam - which make great hatchers! So, if you're happy to take a chance on what comes out of the shell, let me know.

Deryn wrote:Hi Wayland
We have large Japanese quail, they make a decent size for the table and nice size eggs.
How much do you charge for your duck eggs? We charge 3 euro a half dozen. Is this about right?

Sounds about right. I sell mine wholesale for 2 euro a half dozen.

Thank you Sean. I have just ordered 12 from Northern Ireland. If I have no luck with them I will get back to you, if that's OK.