Incubation - Raising Poultry - page 269

Readying the Nest
If you want to hatch out some chicks, first separate your broody hen from the rest of
the flock and give her some fake eggs to determine if she's committed to the process.
For an isolation chamber, I use special portable nest boxes placed in a larger cage, such
as one used for a rabbit. (Use the design from chapter 2 , Housing and Supplies, when
building nest boxes, and keep some spare boxes that you can rely on for these special
circumstances.)
Keeping your broody hen apart from the other hens allows you to keep track of the
eggs she's setting. Otherwise, she'll continually let her flockmates lay eggs in her nest.
By the time she rotates and turns all the gifted eggs spilling out underneath her, you'll
end up with few, if any, chicks; they'll all eventually become chilled from being rotated
to the outer reaches of her nest.
Once you move the hen to her new mothering chamber, it's time to test her broodi-
ness. Give her either fake eggs, such as nest-egg gourds, or wooden or plastic eggs, to
see if her dedication to hatching persists. Be sure to fill the plastic eggs with sand or
something and seal them — otherwise she'll recognize them as too light and kick them
out of the nest. If you don't have any fake eggs for her trial period, use real eggs that
you don't want to eat. But don't immediately give her the eggs you want hatched.
PRE-HATCH EGG STORING
Before incubation, keep eggs to be hatched in a cool place. Avoid storing them in
places warmer than 70°F (21°C) as this will cause slow egg development and weaken
the embryo.
Cool is the key for proper egg storage, not cold . Between 50 and 60°F (10-15°C)
is an ideal temperature range for storage. With these conditions, you can keep eggs
for up to two weeks before placing them under the hen or into the mechanical incub-
ator. This time-frame varies slightly with the species of egg, however; for optimal
hatches, try not to store eggs for longer than one week.
Stored eggs can be shifted from side to side to prevent settling, but in most cases
simply remembering to store them small end down is sufficient. The air sac can be
found on the larger end and it is crucial that it be pointed upward, where it will stand
without the weight of the egg on it.
BROOD FEEDING TIP