G E O R G E S G U ID E T O IN C U B A T IO N > 1?

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1 > 1?

2 X X t George McLaughlin 2016 Homesteading Education > 2?

3 As we launch into this small work on incubation, it would be good that I make clear my intentions in writing. I want to communicate knowledge to you, the reader, which will make you successful in the endeavor of hatching your own poultry. This is not a research paper. I am not citing authors and sources. I am sharing what I have learned, mainly by personal experience over the course of the last 45 years. I am not a professional in the field of poultry. My interest has been more in line with one who enjoys poultry and raises birds to provide meat and eggs for the household. Over the years I've had a number of mentors, each contributing to my understanding of this topic. Annie Vernell, the old woman who let me, an eleven-year-old, turn her old outhouse into a chicken coop, regaled me with tales of chickens hatching duck eggs and warned me against trying to set eggs under a hen once summer heat set in. > 3?

4 Various Mexican friends and neighbors taught me a whole lot, during the time we lived and served as missionaries in rural Mexico. Glenn and Linda Drowns, of Sandhill Preservation Center have helped and encouraged me for decades. Craig Russell, President of the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities spent many hours on the phone with me, helping me to do better with an incubator as well as providing an amazing number of facts and personal anecdotes about breeds, husbandry and incubation. This guide is definitely not exhaustive in its treatment of the subject. Yet, I believe there is some information here, which one won't easily find in most available resources. > 4?

5 My Beginnings in Incubation...7 Ways to Obtain Hatching Eggs Holding Hatching Eggs Handling and Care of Hatching Eggs Incubation Times Incubation Temperatures Incubation Humidity: Two Different Species in the same Incubator Batch A Quick Note on Incubators The Importance of Candling Eggs: Some Tips On Hatching Advice Mail Order Eggs Tips on Brooding Chicks Incubation Under a Hen Good Broody Breeds Conditions for Incubation with a Hen On Moving a Hen on Eggs Lice The Importance of a Calendar Flock Integration > 5?

6 Grafting Chicks to a Broody Hen Inter-species incubation & brooding Transferring Chicks to a Hen Problems Underbrush Nesting > 6?

7 I was eleven years old and living in the New Jersey suburbs. There wasn't a chicken, for at least a mile in any direction from my home. I loved animals of all kinds and decided that I really wanted to hatch some chickens. I started reading on the topic and soon, I cobbled together an incubator out of an old wooden box, an aquarium thermometer, some Christmas lights and some aluminum foil. After regulating the temperature for a couple of days, I rode my bicycle four miles to a farm that sold eggs. The woman who ran the business kept a mixed flock, which ranged around the barnyard. I rang the bell and offered the required change to purchase three eggs. Then, having pocketed them in my coat, I rode home with visions of hatching my own little flock of chickens. Having placed the eggs in the incubator, I turned them every morning before school, every afternoon, when I got home from school, and every night > 7?

8 before bedtime. On the 21 st day I was awakened very early in the morning by cheeping! One of the eggs hatched! Considering my primitive incubator, which lacked a thermostat, and the fact that I had to readjust, every night, for the dip in our house's temperature, I'd say I did alright for a first try! The chick turned out to be a full blooded Barred Rock, which I named Beanie. Beanie launched me into poultry, even though she was mostly a pet. There is something magical about incubation. It is wonder-full to start out with eggs, which appear to be inanimate, and end up with living, cheeping, balls of fluff. I'd recommend it, as an educational experience for children. But before you start, do consider what to do with the birds that hatch. Also be aware that incubation also brings one face to face with one of life's hard realities. Some little birds die in the shell. Some may be deformed and need to be put down. So be forewarned. > 8?

9 For the person who has the space to raise some chickens, incubation is a way to perpetuate the flock. It is economical, practical and entertaining. It is a basic skill, an important skill for the one who would become more selfsufficient. Furthermore, like so many other basic skills, it combines with others to contribute to the fertile ground of innovation. To borrow a biblical expression, such basic skills are like arrows in the quiver. 1 Blessed is the person who has a full quiver! So you would like to hatch some eggs. You might be a parent wanting to teach your children some hands on biology. You might be really into birds and want some chickens for pets. Or you might be serious about raising your own food. Whatever is the case, you are going to need some fertile hatching eggs. The eggs in the grocery 1 The biblical text speaks of children, in the manner I am describing skills. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:5 > 9?

10 store are almost never fertile. So don't even consider the grocery store as a source of hatching eggs. In thinking about hatching some eggs it is important to start with quality eggs. The parentage of the eggs probably won't make any difference on hatchability. But it certainly will affect what kind of chickens you end up with! So put some thought into what you want. > 10?

11 From your own flock The easiest way to get hatching eggs is simply to have a rooster and flock of hens on hand and to collect their eggs. Use the freshest eggs. Try not to use eggs which have been contaminated by getting smeared with broken egg or have had to be dug out of the mud. Cleaner is better. Supposedly there are ways to wash hatching eggs and improve their hatch rate. In my experience it has never been helpful. 2 The most pathetic hatch 2 This could be an area of investigation. I am sure that there are those who wash hatching eggs successfully. But I do not know how they do it. > 11?

12 I ever had was from eggs which had been washed. Those chicks which hatched were systemically infected with something and none survived! From Friends and Acquaintances Another way to obtain hatching eggs is to get them from a friend or acquaintance. The same conditions apply for such eggs as for those one might have raised in their own flock. From Poultry Auctions and Sales There are also regional poultry sales and auctions. At any given sale there are usually a fair representation of hatching eggs offered. It might be worthwhile to obtain eggs this way, as long as they are not too expensive and one isn't depending too heavily on their success. When one purchases eggs from an unknown source, there is no way to know about their actual quality or age. Such eggs may not be fertile. They may have been mistreated and misfire in > 12?

13 incubation. They may not be what they were represented to be. But if they are as claimed and you manage to hatch even a pair of birds from that breed, this could be a good deal. In obtaining stock, do not be afraid of starting with very few and breeding up. By Ordering Eggs Through the Mail There are ways to purchase eggs by mail order. Mail order should be a last resort, meaning, one only purchases hatching eggs through the mail if there is no other way to obtain a given breed or strain of poultry. The reason for this is that shipped eggs have a much lower hatch rate than those which have not been shipped. For years we raised an extremely rare breed of chicken. We shipped eggs on a number of occasions. The very best hatch rate anyone who received our eggs, ever reported, was 33%. But it was worth it, since they hatched out enough to get started with the breed. I've spoken with show breeders who say that they're okay if they can only obtain a > 13?

14 cock and a hen, for getting started with a breed. A trio is even better. How long can hatching eggs be held before incubation? The fresher the egg, the higher the likelihood that it will hatch. For chickens, the general rule is that eggs are good for at least a week after they are laid. After that, they start losing their vitality and the hatch rate will drop noticeably. I don't have much experience holding duck eggs, but I have observed ducks gathering a clutch for at least two weeks, before they start sitting on them. Provided the incubator can hold them all I think I'd hold duck eggs for at least two weeks before rotating them out. Turkey eggs, on the other hand, can be held longer. Some say that turkey eggs maintain good viability for up to a month. This makes sense, as a turkey hen may > 14?

15 take a couple of weeks to assemble a clutch of eggs, before she sets on them. How should I treat hatching eggs before I incubate them? If possible, hatching eggs should be maintained at a temperature between 50º and 70º F. This is not always possible. I've hatched eggs which were held at temperatures just above freezing. The reverse is also possible. I've hatched eggs which were kept at higher temperatures. However, eggs kept at higher temperatures may actually start to incubate, causing them to develop badly and to abort. I have heard of a person who had stored their eggs on a very warm porch. They took the eggs from the porch and started them in the incubator. They were shocked to hear peeping, coming from the incubator at 14 days! If possible, while hatching eggs are being stored, they should be placed in an egg carton (fat end > 15?

16 up) and turned a couple of times a day. I do this by placing one end of the egg carton up on something like another egg carton. Then, when I want to turn the eggs again, I switch which end of the carton is up. You may want to mark your eggs. Perhaps you save eggs from more than one breed and want to know what you have ready to go into the incubator. Or you may be saving up eggs, trying to reach the maximum possible number before incubating. So you mark the date of collection on each egg, rotating out those eggs which start to get old. This is a useful practice. But when hatching under a hen, keep in mind that markings from most pencils and pens will wear off the egg in less than a week, if set under a hen for incubation. So, unless you want to remark them every three or four days, just know that they're probably going to lose their markings before hatching. That's just the way it is. Never mark eggs with a permanent marker. This can kill an embryo. > 16?

17 Different species have different incubation times, here is a list of usual days till incubation for various poultry. Chicken: 21 days Turkey: 28 days Guinea Fowl: 28 days Mallard derived ducks: 3 28 days Muscovy Duck: 35 days - Quail: depends on type. Bobwhite are days. Coturnix are days - Goose: 28 to 35 days 3 That's all ducks except Muscovies, which are descended from a cross of South American tree duck species. > 17?

18 There is also a difference between species and their favored incubation temperature. 4 Chicken: 100º F. Turkey: 99º F. Guinea fowl: 100º F. Quail: 100º F - Duck: 99.5 F. - Goose: These temperatures are for an incubator with a fan. A still air incubator requires that the thermometer read a degree or two higher. Also, I have found that if I hatch both turkey and chicken eggs at the same time, it is better to run the temperature at the turkey's favored temperature (degree lower). Chicken eggs seem to handle a slightly cooler incubation temperature than do turkey eggs at a slightly higher temperature. > 18?

19 Humidity is an important factor in incubation. It's something which is automatically taken care of when using a hen. But when using an incubator, it is important to attend to this requirement. If one uses an inexpensive Styrofoam incubator, then the best I can say is that you keep water in the reservoir, especially during the last three days before they are due to hatch. If you use a still air incubator for a number of seasons, try some experimentation with humidity. Better yet, get a better incubator (with fan and hygrometer) or try using a live hen. Dry incubation has worked best for me with my GQF Sportsman, ( which is a cabinet incubator with temperature control and humidity readings. The basic idea of dry incubation is to maintain the humidity somewhere between 26% and 36% until the last three days. Most of the time, my incubator's > 19?

20 humidity is in that range without adding any water. Then, with chicken eggs 5, on day #19 I do three things with the hatching eggs: 1. I stop turning them. 2. I move them from their holders into a hatching tray. 3. I fill the reservoir with water and set two sponges (stacked) in it. This drives the humidity up between 60% and 70% (higher probably wouldn't hurt). The reasoning behind this strategy is that eggs need to lose moisture content while incubating in order to enlarge the air sack at the fat end of the egg. When beginning the hatching process, the chick's head first breaks into this air pocket and then, from there it begins breaking the actual egg shell. If the egg has retained too much moisture, 5 With another species simply calculate three days from hatch and raise the humidity at that time. > 20?

21 the chick may actually drown when it breaks the membrane of this air sack. Hence, one keeps the humidity low 6 during the greater part of the incubation period. But during the last three days, then one raises the humidity, as this softens the egg shell, making it easier for the chick to fight its way to freedom. How do I successfully incubate two different species in the same incubator batch? Incubating two different species at the same time is possible. But when there are different incubation times, then it is necessary to time your eggs so that they are ready to hatch at the same time. For instance, this is something I have done, both in an incubator and under a hen; I've hatched chickens and turkeys together. The 6 Between 26% and 36% humidity > 21?

22 chicken eggs require 21 days. Turkeys require 28 days. So I start the turkey eggs a week ahead of the chicken eggs. That way I stop turning the eggs on the same day and they should hatch at close to the same time. Turkey poults and chicks get along well together. But ducklings and chicks, though they do not have any animosity toward one another, are different enough that it is not a good idea to brood them together. 7 It might be possible to hatch them together, though, with Muscovies, I simply wouldn't try. Muscovy eggs are more challenging for artificial incubation than are most other ducks. There is a wide range of incubators available. The typical Styrofoam, still air incubator, commonly sold in feed stores, runs somewhere 7 Ducklings are generally larger and sturdier than chicks. They also dirty the water in the blink of an eye, which can cause problems for chicks, which really need clean water. > 22?

23 around $30. It will work reasonably well, for about a year. My experience has been that after a year, these are pretty well shot. The thermostat won't be so reliable, and, the Styrofoam will have absorbed bacteria, which will affect future hatches. After using Styrofoam incubators for some time I concluded that I would much rather hatch under hens. Hens work great. But, of course, one can't hatch 30 or 40 chicks under a hen, and it can be challenging to juggle several hens on eggs. There are some small and medium incubators with more easily disinfected surfaces and more dependable components. It is really good to add a fan and egg turner for better hatch rates. These incubators can be a bit pricey, and I haven't tried them, myself. But I'm sure most are very good. Because I started hatching larger quantities of chicks, in order to sell, I saved up and spent the money for a GQF Sportsman cabinet incubator. This has been a really good incubator for my needs. It has both the egg turner and fan, plus it > 23?

24 measures humidity. Apart from the sale of chicks, I would probably go back to hatching under a hen. Mother nature rocks! To hatch under a hen, one simply needs to learn how to work with the hen's instincts. When preparing to incubate eggs it is usually a good idea to candle them. This can show you if you have an egg which is either partly developed or spoiled. Avoid either of these cases. They can ruin your hatch. Even if the partly developed egg were to survive and continue to develop, it would hatch ahead of the other chicks, necessitating the premature opening of the incubator. Or, if it died, which is more often the case, the egg would likely spoil and explode, contaminating the other eggs. If you candle before you start the eggs incubating, discard any eggs which show a red ring on one side of the inside shell. This is an egg > 24?

25 which started developing prematurely. It is most likely that the embryo died during the hours it was stored in your house. Discard any egg which shows itself opaque. Avoid double yoked eggs, as they never hatch. A good egg should start out, looking translucent as it is candled. Shell thickness and color varies, not only between species, but also between breeds of poultry. In my experience duck eggs are the absolute easiest to candle. White shelled chicken eggs are pretty easy. Some brown shelled eggs are quite a bit harder, not only because of the color of the shell, but also because of thickness. How To Candle Eggs: For high volume candling work, such as would be done in a hatchery, there are actual egg candlers. An egg candler actually doesn't cost that much. But I have never owned one. 8 Essentially, to candle an egg, one holds the egg 8 If you happen to own an iphone, you'll find that its flashlight component works really well for candling eggs. > 25?

26 up against a really bright light, while in a darkened room. The egg seems to light up, and what is inside can become visible. I use the light on my cell phone, or a flashlight. Avoid mixing eggs from another source with the ones you really want to hatch. For whatever the reason, I've found that this sometimes causes catastrophic problems. I've accepted eggs to place into the incubator, with my own. They all got started at the same time. Yet, the other eggs hatched several days earlier than my own. This changed the humidity in the incubator and caused many of my eggs to fail. Avoid adding eggs to the incubator which are out of sync with the rest. I know, theoretically that one can do a weekly run of eggs in an incubator. But keep in mind that you want the humidity to be between 26% - 36% during the main incubation time and then, up to 60%-70% > 26?

27 during the last few days. To expose the younger eggs to high humidity, when they ought to be in lower humidity can greatly harm the hatch rate. If you want to cycle eggs more than every 23 days or so, then get another incubator. Use one for incubating and another for hatching. The hatcher can be kept at 60%-70% humidity and the regular incubator at 26%-36%. This arrangement has the advantage of maintaining the main incubator much cleaner than if one used just one incubator. The disadvantage is that your equipment cost is higher. Once the eggs begin to hatch, DO NOT open the incubator until you are ready to remove EVERYTHING in there. Perhaps the greatest temptation in this endeavor is to remove chicks that have hatched and then close things back up and hope for more. In my experience, when I open the incubator to remove chicks, whatever chicks have not hatched...are not going to hatch. There's something about the temperature shock and loss of humidity when that incubator is > 27?

28 opened at this stage. Just don't do it. Chicks, when they hatch, generally have three days margin, during which, they need not eat or drink. They can live on the remains of the egg yolk which their body absorbed, just before hatching. Now, if a chick takes three days to hatch after pipping (breaking a hole in the egg shell) try not to make it wait long before it eats and drinks. It may have used a lot of its reserves by the time it manages to get out of the shell. 9 If after eggs have been partly incubated, something happens and they are either abandoned or not maintained for some time, don't automatically give up on them. Get them back under incubation if you can, even if they 9 In the fall of 2015 I hatched a batch of Buckeye chicks to ship to Iowa. As is often the case, I had some which were slower to get free of the shell. And, the majority of the hatch was on Saturday afternoon (when there is no shipping until Monday). I left them in the incubator until Monday morning and shipped Monday. Twenty-five out of twenty-six arrived safely at their destination. I shipped overnight express, and it took two days for them to be delivered. > 28?

29 have been unattended for up to 10 hours. Try! I don't know why, but sometimes they survive and continue incubating just fine. It is better not to give up on them. Here is some advice on sending or receiving baby birds through the US Post Office. I recommend that you use overnight express. It costs more than Priority, but I believe it is worth it for the welfare of the birds and a good start when they arrive, Be aware that there are MANY variables involved in shipping, many of which we probably don't even know about. The US Postal Service generally does yeoman service on our behalf. But there are occasions when something goes wrong and chicks die in the mail. If this happens ABSOLUTELY REFRAIN from complaining to the Post Office personnel. It is probable that they have already done their very best. In fact, > 29?

30 almost without exception, I'm sure they are saddened by such a tragedy. The ability to ship birds through the mail is a great privilege. If we get ugly when there is a mishap, we move a step closer to losing this privilege. So be kind to our postal workers, no matter what. Chicks need to be brooded until they are pretty well feathered out. To brood a chick means to keep it warm and dry while it grows. There are brooders developed commercially for this purpose. But I have always used a cage, pen or a box. It is important that the little birds cannot escape. For, if they do, they may well die of cold or hunger. I usually purchase a brooder lamp, which is essentially a light socket and cord with a metallic hood to reflect the light/heat. In really cold weather I use a red heat lamp in the socket. In warmer weather I use a 100-watt light bulb. The > 30?

31 brooding enclosure needs fresh air, but beware of drafts. Keep little birds out of strong drafts. It is super important that the little birds can choose how close or far away they want to be from the heat source. So, give them room, and a way to escape the heat or, to move in closer. Provide both food and water. Be sure to clean the brooder and all food and water containers, as needed. Follow the lead of what the birds show you, as to whether they need it warmer or cooler, and brood until they have enough feathers not to catch a chill if out on their own. If the chicks are all plastered against the farthest wall, trying to get away from the heat, it's too hot. If they are all piled under the light and look unhappy, they need more heat. > 31?

32 Chicks in a homemade brooder Be very careful, if you use a cardboard box for a brooder, not to catch it on fire! > 32?

33 Kraienkoppe Hen who snuck off to hatch her own Using a mother bird to hatch eggs is the oldest form of incubation known. While one may not hear about it very much it is still popular in many circles. When we lived in rural Mexico we saw a wonderful example of this appropriate technology. Several times we observed a poor family scrimp and save to purchase one turkey. It would be a hen. Turkeys don't lay eggs year round. They generally lay in spring and summer, > 33?

34 with the possibility of hatching two clutches per year. Just before the hen starts laying her clutch she emits a mating call and, if no tom turkey is to be found, she'll go looking for one. Often these rural folk would have just one turkey hen, and as soon as she started calling for a mate, they would find a neighbor with a tom and make arrangements to breed their hen to the tom. One breeding was sufficient fertilization for her to lay an entire clutch. The hen would then lay between 12 and 20 eggs and go broody. 10 They would watch with much excitement as she set on those eggs and later cared for her young. Often, a number of the poults would go back to the owner of the tom, as payment for stud service. The family would usually keep a tom and a 10 Broody is the term used to describe the condition of a hen or duck when she stops laying and starts earnestly trying to incubate eggs. A broody hen usually puffs her feathers when disturbed on the nest and lets out with an angry sounding trilling sound, warning the intruder away, but not getting up, herself, to leave. A broody turkey will do this as well. But instead of a trilling sound, she will hiss. A Muscovy duck will also hiss. > 34?

35 couple hens, as the foundation of a new flock. And, they'd sell a few, to pay for feed. Eventually, by raising turkeys, they could even afford to purchase some other kind of livestock, which, in their culture, was most definitely a form of wealth. While hatching under a hen may not be as common, now, in the United States, as it was in the past, there are some real advantages to this method. First, if one is already raising a breed of poultry which naturally goes broody, there is the possibility of avoiding the cost of the purchase of an incubator. Also, the bird itself requires no adjustments. It naturally maintains the proper temperature and humidity, even turning the eggs just right! Not only does the hen hatch the eggs correctly, but most of the time she will also be wired to properly brood the chicks and even, to teach them something about scavenging. If one wishes to hatch eggs under a hen, then the breed does make a difference. There are breeds of chicken which almost never go broody and > 35?

36 there are breeds which seem, rarely not to be broody! Some are more determined to set and hatch eggs, once they go broody, while some, though they go broody, are fairly easy to break up or discourage from setting. Some make better mothers than others. It is important to investigate breeds if one wishes to incubate the eggs naturally. Even specific strains, within a breed, can differ greatly in this area. If one wants to go the natural incubation route, and they also want a non-broody breed of chicken, then it would be worthwhile to have on hand a hen or two of a broody breed. 11 In my experience, the leghorn breeds are nonbroody. Hamburgs and other small laying breeds are often non-broody. Non-broody simply means that they are not very inclined to sit on eggs and hatch them. Decades ago, when my 11 When doing this it helps if the broody breed lays eggs which are noticeably different (color, shape, size, etc.) from the target breed, or that the hens from the broody breed be kept separately from the main flock. This will avoid unexpected crosses. > 36?

37 wife and I were first married, someone gave us some brown leghorns. They were beautiful birds and great layers. They were also non-broody. I did, however, notice that every so many months one of the hens would set on a nest of eggs for a couple of hours and act broody 12. Then, as the sun was setting low, she'd be satisfied that she had done her time, and she'd get up and go her way. This was the extent of their broodiness. When we moved to attend graduate school, we gave our chickens to some friends. They reported that one night a skunk killed one of their Old English Game hens as her eggs were hatching. As the sun rose in the morning sky, along came one of those brown leghorns and, just then, she decided to go broody! She sat on those eggs, which hatched 12 A broody hen will stay on the nest after laying an egg, perhaps for over a week without getting off. She will also puff her feathers and make a shrill sound if you reach into the next box and touch her back. She won't jump out of the box and flee. Instead, she might peck you. > 37?

38 within hours. She was the proud mother of a clutch of chicks! They told me that she took very good care of them! Still, if you were to raise brown leghorns and wish to hatch under a hen, I'd highly recommend that you also have a couple broody type hens, on hand to hatch those eggs. Breeds which tend to go broody are: notably, anything with Game in the name and anything with Cochin in the name. Since almost all bantams have Game blood in them, almost any bantam of any breed will be a good broody. Keep in mind, however, that some bantams struggle to fit three or four regular sized chicken eggs under them. We had one teacup Old English Game who could barely cover three medium sized chicken eggs, and then, we had to turn them for her. She was simply too small to do it herself! Most multipurpose breeds and most American breeds, at least started out with broody instincts. But be aware that many which have been > 38?

39 popularized, through high volume hatcheries or commercial production, have been bred away from this trait to some degree. For instance, I would not expect a Production Red 13 to be a very good broody hen. And, though I lack personal experience with them, I would suspect that a real, old fashioned Rhode Island Red, from show stock, would be much more inclined to go broody. We raise Buckeyes. At one point we had stock from a larger hatchery. Those hens tended not to go broody until their second year. Later we purchased show stock from a private breeder. This new stock tends to go broody much more rapidly. Both lines make good mothers. 13 A Production Red is a hybrid laying hen with Rhode Island Red at the bottom of its genealogical heap. > 39?

40 Here is a short list of breeds which are almost certain to make good broodies: Any Cochin Buckeyes Any kind of Game fowl Kraienkoppe Silkie Cubalaya Dominique (a.k.a. Dominecker) Dorking Turken 14 (a.k.a. Naked Neck) Buff Orpington Bantam of any breed - Sumatra 14 Turkins are considered ugly by most. Yet they were developed by a consummately practical people, and such, they are consummately practical birds. They are generally good layers, good meat birds and great broodies. > 40?

41 What are the conditions required for successful incubation with a hen? Hatching eggs under a hen is not as simple as just leaving a hen to sit on a nest box full of eggs. There are conditions which must be fulfilled in order to have success. Temperature First of all, hatching under a hen requires that temperatures not be too high. In most locales within the continental United States it is generally accepted that success is questionable for clutches started later than the middle of May. Just as a general rule, one should avoid hatching under a hen if daytime temperatures go higher than the mid 80s. High temperatures cause the eggs get too hot and the embryos to die. I have personally observed this with both chickens and turkeys. I have not tried it with guineas, quail or geese. But I suspect, in this respect, they are like turkeys and chickens. > 41?

42 The Muscovy duck is a little different. I have regularly observed Muscovies successfully hatch clutches during the full heat of summer. There are several reasons for their success. The Muscovy has tropical origins. Apparently the domestic bird retains some instincts for dealing with heat. When temperatures in their nesting environment get high, the Muscovy will actually stand up, hovering over the nest, without actually > 42?

43 contributing to its warmth. Also, the Muscovy almost always recognizes an egg gone bad, before it contaminates the nest. The Muscovy will either kick that egg out of the nest or actually break and eat it, leaving no trace! I don't know if other duck breeds do this. Solitude When a female of most any of these domestic species decides to hatch her own eggs, she will almost always look to get away, someplace private. There's a good reason for this. When we want a hen to hatch eggs, we ought to help her out, making sure that she is alone and undisturbed. If she tries to hatch eggs while in with other birds, there are several catastrophic developments which can occur: 1. Other birds may continue laying eggs in with the hen's clutch. Thus the clutch can grow to an impossible number of eggs, with partially incubated eggs getting knocked out into the cold and > 43?

44 dying. Worse yet, those dead eggs may get rotated back under the hen, rotting and blowing up. 2. At the very least, it is likely that eggs in this situation will hatch unevenly, reducing the size of the successful hatch and causing otherwise good eggs to be abandoned when they don't hatch on time with the first ones. 3. When more than two broody hens try to share a nest they compete for the eggs. You may not see it. But underneath their puffed feathers they are engaged in a fierce battle of footsie, each trying to gather all the eggs under herself. All this jostling usually kills the eggs. So, if you ever have two hens start setting on the same eggs, cage one to assure that they have a fair chance of hatching. > 44?

45 Security A hen setting on eggs is vulnerable. Rodents, raccoon, skunks, opossum, snakes, cats, dogs, coyote and even armadillos prey on chickens, their eggs or chicks. There are more predatory dangers. These are just some with which I've had to contend. Never mind that you may have never seen these animals. They are usually present, even in the inner city or manicured suburb. Unless you have a super livestock guardian dog your poultry needs a secure coop for nights. This is all the more so when a hen is setting on eggs! If you have rats in your environment, you may not lose adult birds. But you'll probably lose eggs, chicks and feed. There are a number of solutions for this. A cat or a dog might help. But you'll have to make sure that it understands that the chickens are not to be harassed or killed. Putting out rat poison (in a covered container, inaccessible to the other animals) can help. But be careful! It is all too easy to poison something other than the rodents you're hoping to kill. > 45?

46 For protection against most predators it is usually necessary to build a coop which is completely secured with either 1 or 1/2 hardware cloth. Always keep in mind that you will never come to the point at which you will not be surprised anew at how small a space through which a predator can fit. 15 It is unbelievable! We have livestock guardian dogs. These dogs have their own special requirements. But when 15 One of the most unpleasant shocks possible for the new poultry lover is to experience the ingenuity of raccoon. They can reach through 1 mesh. Sometimes, when a person has birds housed in a chicken tractor or smaller cage, a group of raccoon will come along, at night. One will go to one side of the chicken tractor and wait. The other(s) will go to the opposite side and make a commotion. The birds inside panic and rush up against the opposite side of the chicken tractor. As soon as they do, that waiting coon will reach through and grab them, He (or she) will literally tear the bird apart, through the wire, eating the pieces as he fits them through the wire! For this reason, it is highly advisable to construct chicken tractors and cages either with 1/2 mesh, or to build them with a solid end, where the birds can take refuge from bad weather and predators. > 46?

47 one can use them, they are simply wonderful. They prevent the majority of predatory attacks. Two of our dogs actually scan the skies, looking to stop raiding hawks! A broody hen needs both security and solitude. So you need to have a separate cage or pen for her. We have constructed special pens, each with a little run and a shelter for the bird. They work pretty well. Feed stores sometimes sell mini chicken coops. They can be a bit pricey. They are sometimes a bit larger than needed for a single broody hen and her clutch. But they would work well, especially for raising the little ones after they hatch. Here's a picture of one such mini chicken coop.: > 47?

48 Another arrangement which works well is to construct a pen, either inside the chicken coop, or in a shady place, outside, with protection from the elements. The pen could be something like 6' by 2 ½' and about 2 ½' tall. Half inch mesh wire is preferable, so as to keep predators out and chicks in, once they hatch. If the pen is inside the main chicken coop, one can place a nice nest box in it and leave it open, so that the hens start laying in there. Then, when a hen decides to go broody in that nest, the pen can be closed to prevent other hens from disturbing her. Food and water can then be placed in that pen, so the broody hen can eat and drink when she desires. Whatever eggs are in the nest when she goes broody might be exchanged for a selected batch of eggs which you want to be incubated. 16 This involves collecting, and perhaps even rotating an egg stock of the desired eggs while waiting for a hen to go broody in that particular nest box. 16 This also ensures that all incubated eggs have the same starting date for incubation. > 48?

49 A hen must be able to get up and away from the nest in order to eat, drink, and quite importantly, to POOP! If a hen is too closely contained, she will dirty her eggs, effectively killing them. Nesting hens need to get off the nest at least once every 24 hours. So, be sure that your broody hen can get off and away from the nest. Be sure she has access to both food and water. Nest Box Generally, it is a good thing to use a nest box. There are times, when a hen gets off by herself, on her own initiative, that she will simply nest in > 49?

50 a depression on the ground. But a nest box helps to protect the eggs and hen. Additionally, a nest box makes it easier to move the hen and her nest, if necessary. A nest box should be between 6 and 10 tall with plenty of room for the hen to fit with nesting materials and her clutch of eggs. The actual size of the nest box can vary with the size of the hen. It should leave room for her and a couple of inches of space on every side of her. There ought to be room for some kind of padding. I like to pad the inside of the nest box with straw or hay. Often, I will form a bowl shaped depression in the straw and then lay an old tee shirt over top, placing the eggs on top of the tee shirt. This will prevent eggs from possibly getting lost in the straw. Occasionally it is necessary to move a nesting hen and her eggs. The task is much easier if she > 50?

51 is in a free standing nest box. If one picks her and her eggs up, out of the nest, and places them into another nest box, it is quite possible that she will abandon the nest. At the very least, she'll probably head back to where her original nest was located. Some broodies simply cannot be relocated without them giving up on their clutch. But some are exceedingly tolerant and will almost never give up on their eggs. Our family observed a great example of such a tenacious broody, back in 2001, when we lived temporarily in a partially remodeled barn hayloft. The first floor of the barn was still a regular barn, with stalls housing both horses and chickens. The owner gave us permission to collect and eat as many eggs as we pleased, and our daughters greatly enjoyed this activity. They would go through the entire lower level of the barn, finding and gathering eggs into a basket. There was a little Mille Fleur Cochin bantam, which they had dubbed Cutie, who would follow them around on their egg hunts. Whenever they would set the basket down, Cutie would jump on > 51?

52 top of the eggs and promptly claim them as her own clutch! If allowed, I'm sure that she would have sat tight on that basket until something hatched! There is one very important consideration which must always be taken into account when moving a broody, whether it be a chicken, duck or turkey. That is the bird, no matter how willing to continue sitting on the clutch, if moved, will always try to return to the place where she first settled on that nest! In other words, if you move the nest, you must somehow restrain that bird, so she does not wander off and lose her nest! One time we had a turkey hen decide to set on a clutch of eggs in our coop. I waited until it was dark and moved her and her entire clutch, box and all, into the back of our horse trailer, which was quite nearby. Everything went smoothly, or so I thought. The next morning was Sunday and we went to church. By afternoon, when we returned, the turkey hen had gotten off her nest to eat, drink and relieve herself. She managed to > 52?

53 get up and out of a window in the trailer and was frantically running around the yard, looking for her nest. She kept looking in the coop. But it was not there. It never occurred to her to return to the horse trailer! We had to put both her and her nest box in a pen, from which she could not escape. Then, because she couldn't lose it, she happily finished incubating that clutch of eggs. Mistakes to Avoid There are a number of common mistakes to avoid, when hatching eggs under a broody hen. Perhaps one of the most common, for the novice is that of rescuing an abandoned clutch of eggs. Except for the last day or two, before the babies hatch, most birds get up and off the nest for at least an hour a day. But it could be for more time than an hour. In spite of being bird brained the vast majority of broody hens make the right call on this, every time! But the anxious hatching novice is sorely tempted to panic, thinking that the eggs will die, and try to do something to save them. Don't do it! Almost > 53?

54 without exception, human intervention will interfere with a successful hatch. Ducks leave the nest even more than do chickens. They are quite intelligent about it. If they sense that it is too cool they will cover the eggs with fluff from their own breasts. I've once observed a Muscovy make a nest in our carport. When she went for her daily bath in the pond, > 54?

55 she would not only cover her eggs with down, but also drag a piece of cardboard over the nest. Essentially, while she was away, her nest was nowhere to be seen. It was practically invisible! Ducks normally bathe every day and return to the nest slightly damp. Their eggs prefer a higher humidity than do chicken eggs, and this is how they provide that condition. 17 Another common mistake has to do with the care of newly hatched chicks, keets, poults or ducklings. These newborns are very fragile and can easily drown in some waterers. I prefer to use a waterer which is commonly sold for newborn chicks, or else, something of the same height. At times it's a good idea to fill the plastic part with marbles, so the little birds can even stand in/on the waterer and drink from between 17 Still, I have had great success hatching duck eggs under chickens. Just be aware, if you do this, that the ducklings will not follow the hen once hatched. You'll most likely need to take them and brood them yourself. > 55?

56 them. With ducklings, my favorite is to get a large chick waterer and simply fill it with water. The ducklings are so small they can actually climb in and swim around in circles! Yet, it is low enough that they can also get out. The problem with these baby friendly waterers is that they can very easily be fouled or run out of water. So, be sure to check them frequently. Hens are notorious for dumping feeders and fouling waterers. There's not a whole lot one can do about it, except, perhaps, to use a feeder with a guard over the top. This would inhibit some scratching by the hen. Beware of waterers which are too deep and steep. In the past I've put a bucket of water in a pen with a hen and her babies. My reasoning was, that it would provide the hen with an abundance of water and that the chicks wouldn't be able to get high enough to gain access to it. They had their own shallow waterer. That worked... for a couple of days. Then the chicks gained some flight feathers and strength for > 56?

57 jumping. One afternoon, I checked on them, only to find four or five chicks, drowned in that bucket of water. Watch out for lice! Lice can greatly reduce the vitality of a flock. There are different kinds of lice. Some even eat feathers, causing the birds to look like they are molting. Usually, I can tell if a bird has lice by picking it up and examining its vent. Vent is the poultry word for anus. I might see some lice crawling around there. That's where the lice go to get hydration. If they're there, and I don't see them, then I will probably recognize they are there because I'll find a few crawling on me! Hygiene in the coop helps to prevent lice. When we clean our coop, we usually spread lime on the floor, to kill pathogens and inhibit lice. Lice, when they attack chicks can kill them within days. Essentially they suck the life out of > 57?

58 them. So be aware! Check with your veterinarian if in doubt. Some poultry fanciers purchase Adam's Flea and Tick spray, catching each bird and giving it a squirt on the vent. I hear it's very effective. But I can't recommend it, as it's probably illegal. Whether one hatches under a hen or in an incubator, it is quite important to keep track of the process using a calendar. Generally, it is good to candle eggs at one week of incubation, just to be able to get rid of those which are not developing. Otherwise those bad eggs will probably rot and blow up before the chicks make their appearance. Also, in an incubator, the last three days are especially important, as the humidity ought to be raised significantly. On top of these details one needs to know when to have a brooder and chick starter ready! Don't fall for the temptation to candle the eggs every couple of days. The best hatches are those which are > 58?

59 candled at about a week and left alone for the rest of the time. When can Young Birds Be Integrated into the Main Flock? Unless one is just starting out with poultry, it's likely that chicks hatched will have to integrated with an established flock. Integration can be complicated. Most poultry can be really hard on newcomers. If one were to purchase a new hen and simply drop it into a pen with a dozen hens which have already an established pecking order, that new hen might be really injured or even killed by the others. It s even harder when one is dealing with birds much smaller than the adults. How much care one needs to take in introducing chicks into the flock is very much affected by how the flock is housed and whether it is crowded. If one has a dozen hens in a pen built for fifteen, then MUCH care is necessary in introducing a new hen. But if the flock free ranges and has plenty of room to run, > 59?

60 less care will be necessary. It is always a more delicate task to introduce younger, smaller birds. However, one opts for integration into the flock there are a couple of helpful principles to keep in mind: It is truly helpful if the flock can see and hear the newcomers for several days, before they are released into the flock. Space is essential. Newcomers need room to flee and places to hide during the introductory period. A mother hen can be quite helpful in introducing young birds. She will likely defend them. But don't count on it. It will take a day or two for the new birds to be completely accepted by the flock. > 60?

61 The Kraienkoppe, being essentially a game type, fiercely protects her young. Momma will make sure that her babies are safely integrated into the flock! My favorite way of integrating young birds into the flock, is simply to raise them in a separate pen, which the other birds can see, without entering. The main flock sees the young birds for weeks before they are released, and they are accepted with no fuss at all, when released from the pen. Keep in mind that different breeds of chickens have differing degrees of aggressiveness. At least some breeds of Leghorn will actually dart in to grab and eat newly hatched chicks. Most chickens will not. I've also noticed that there is a > 61?

62 difference between breeds' tolerance of ducklings, if they are free ranging with chickens. Our Buckeyes don't seem to mind the ducklings. But Kraienkoppe hens, especially the broody ones, when they would take a break from their nest, wanted to KILL ducklings. For some reason they really detest them. Most of the time, when one hatches chicks in an incubator, the chicks are also brooded apart from a mother hen. A brooder can be commercially designed for this task, or it can be as simple as a light bulb hung in a cardboard box. From time to time one may hatch a smaller number of chicks and happen to have a broody hen on hand, when they hatch. If a proper cage or pen is available, it can be a very good thing to let the hen adopt the chicks and care for them. She will naturally regulate their warmth, show them what's good to eat and even teach them something about foraging. There is also an almost intangible > 62?

63 benefit about a real live momma raising chicks. The hen is soft, warm and clucks in a most soothing manner for a chick; little wonder that a real live hen often has more success in raising chicks. In the fall of 2015 I hatched a batch of Buckeyes. Part of the hatch was to be shipped. The leftovers would stay with me. I had them all under a light until I had shipped the others. When I selected the chicks to ship, I selected the most robust. In doing this I noticed one chick was teetering. It looked like it would likely soon to die. I drove home with the remaining chicks and put them under a lamp, with food and water. By evening, that weak chick was still alive, but not looking particularly good. It was not eating. That night it was noticeably cool. I placed the chicks into a bucket and carried them outside. Then I stuffed the chicks, one by one, under that hen. There was the sound of happy clucking from the hen, as if she were commenting, I just knew I'd have babies if I sat in this nest box long > 63?

64 enough! The chicks peeped briefly but happily, as they burrowed into the hen's warm downy feathers. As I left them, I took one last glance into the nest box, by the light of my headlamp. The hen was completely puffed out and looking extremely pleased. There was just one little fuzzy chick's head, peeking out from under one of her wings. By morning I could no longer determine which of the chicks had been the weak one. That weak chick straightened right out, catching up to the others in strength, by morning. It received no extra food or water, just warmth and the security of a real mother hen. Here's a 2005 picture of the turkey with her adopted guinea keets. > 64?

65 One time we were given four young guinea fowl. They were mostly feathered and the weather was warm. So I put them in a pen outside. Within an hour it was obvious that one of our turkey hens really wanted to adopt them. She was calling to them, as if they were her own. I let them out of the pen. They ran to her and she took care of them from that moment until they were grown! I've seen chickens do something like this, with chicks. But more often than not, when a hen is simply presented with a bunch of newly hatched chicks, she will not adopt them. There are certain conditions which need to be met in order to make the adoption more probable. Here's the ideal: When the chicks hatch out in the incubator, the hen should already be hunkered down on her nest and hard broody. 18 Leave the chicks in 18 Hard broody means that she has completely settled on that nest and is unwilling to abandon it. Often, a hen which is hard broody will have some bare skin on her breast. This is something they do naturally to make it easier to keep eggs > 65?

66 the incubator until they are all done hatching. But then, as soon as possible, take those chicks and place them under that hen. It is best to place them under the hen while it is quite dark. 19 Slip them under her one by one, letting them accommodate themselves in her feathers. The hen, if she's accepting the chicks, will start making soft clucking and trilling sounds. By morning the hen and chicks should be bonded. I recently did this, placing seven newly hatched turkey poults (from the incubator) under a broody Buckeye hen. One night, right as it got warm. If you slip your hand under a broody hen and feel bare skin, you can be pretty sure she's hard broody. 19 It is much better that the chicks be placed under the hen where she has been trying to brood. If you move her and simultaneously try to get her to adopt chicks it is likely she will abandon them. Even if she is trying to set in a nest box inside a community coop, I'd try to get the chicks under her after dark, right there in the community coop, and then be sure to move her with the chicks before daybreak. If you wait until after dawn, there are a great many catastrophes which are likely to occur. > 66?

67 dark, I picked up the hen and placed a wooden nest box on top of the depression where she had been setting. I then, simultaneously place the hen in the box and stuck a poult under her. She was delighted! So I placed the rest of the poults under her, leaving them there until just before sunrise the next day. Then, I moved her and the poults, along with the nest box into a enclosed area, where other birds couldn't interfere and the hen couldn't get out to look for her nest in the place where it had been. I propped a piece of firewood against the shed door to hold it closed. As I did chores (still before daybreak) I glanced in there and saw the hen happily sitting on the poults. I went inside thinking that all was well. About half an hour after the sun came up I went back out and discovered the door to the shed had come open. The hen was out, and, I thought I saw her disappear into a goat pen, which then opened into a pathway which led to where her nest used to be. I noticed that there were little turkey poults scattered in the dewy grass and hiding in various nooks and crannies in the > 67?

68 immediate vicinity. Quickly I gathered them up, putting them back in the shed. Then I returned to the nest where the hen had originally been sitting (on a square rock). There she was, happily warming the rock! So, I picked her up and took her back to the poults, placing her back in the shed. She seemed indifferent to them. For about forty minutes the poults sat huddled about two feet from the hen, who seemed to pay them scant attention. She was too intent on trying to get back to her nest box in the other building. Then, we had an idea. There was a hen turkey pacing the yard, calling to the poults. Apparently she wanted to adopt them. So, I caught the hen turkey and put her in the shed with the hen and the poults. The result: immediately the hen turkey lost interest in the babies, wanting only to get out of there. But immediately also, the chicken considered that the hen turkey might take her babies. So the hen gathered up her babies, never looking back. She > 68?

69 took care of them, as her own, from that time forth. Here's that Buckeye hen with her babies a month after deciding to keep them as her own. This anecdote illustrates something about both incubation and brooding with a live bird. Nothing is cut and dried. The unexpected > 69?

70 happens. For success, one needs to be observant and flexible. Chickens will usually hatch and accept chicks, guinea keets, turkey poults and ducklings. They easily raise chicks, keets and poults. But ducklings don't communicate well with chickens, and vice versa. So, once a hen hatches out ducks, it is best to take the ducklings from her and raise them in a brooder. When using a hen, be alert to the fact that she may decide that the babies are ready to be on their own before they are actually ready. This can be remedied by keeping her and the babies in a small cage or closed pen, so she doesn't wander off and leave them. Turkeys are everybody's momma. They will try to raise anything they can hatch. Keep in mind that turkeys, just as with chickens, do not communicate very well with ducks. So, if you hatch ducklings under a turkey, take them away, > 70?

71 once they hatch, and put them in their own brooder. Turkeys and guineas do communicate. They're not a perfect match. But they understand and accept one another pretty well. Turkey hens are the best! They are renowned for being extra careful with their little ones and also for watching the sky for aerial predators. Guineas are not very good mothers. They will hatch their own eggs (sometimes). But I've never heard of putting any other bird's eggs under a guinea. Ducks should probably not be used to hatch other kinds of poultry, unless it be waterfowl. I have seen a turkey egg hatch out under a Muscovy duck. The duck carried the poult over to a kiddie pool and dropped it in...to drown. Just as with chickens, not all duck breeds have the instincts to incubate eggs. However, even among some non-broody breeds of duck it is still possible to find an individual who will hatch eggs. I have never seen any duck hatch eggs and > 71?

72 not take good care of the ducklings. Muscovies are super fantastic mothers and very dependable for hatching all kinds of waterfowl. Ducks distinguish ducklings by color. In other words, if your duck hatches out all white ducklings, and then you pop a black one into her nest, she'll know, and will probably reject it. On > 72?

73 the other hand, I raise pure white Muscovies. I regularly observe something like two ducks, each with 15 ducklings, meeting at the feed pan. And when they separate one has 20 ducklings and the other has 10. When next they meet, they'll probably have another duckling shuffle. They all seem fine with this. But they would not be fine if a duckling of another color tried to blend in with the clutch! In practice this just means that if an odd colored duckling isn't hatched under a duck, don't expect her to adopt it. Regarding geese, I lack experience with geese. I understand that they will hatch and raise ducklings, but if there are some goslings in the hatch, they may reject the ducklings after a little time has gone by. I wouldn't dream of trying to hatch anything besides waterfowl under a goose. What are the problems I can face when transferring chicks to a hen? Three special > 73?

74 case problems come to mind which ought to be avoided. First, if a chick has been hatched in an incubator, there are only about three days, from hatching, during which it can or will bond with a hen. After that, the chick will not bond with a hen. If placed with a hen, it will likely wander off. So, if you want to give incubator hatched chicks to a hen, do it as soon as possible, after hatching. After three days, don't even try. Secondly. If a chick is hatched under one hen, and then, soon after hatching, is transferred to another hen, it probably won't accept the new hen. Apparently chicks learn their mother's voice, even before they hatch. Once hatched, they will look for their mother, listening for her voice. Before I knew this I once lost some Buckeye chicks. I had two hens with chicks hatching. One was only going to have two, so I took the two partially hatched eggs and put them under the other hen. Those two chicks hatched and then struck out, looking for their mother. They would not stay with their adopted mother. > 74?

75 Unfortunately, it was cold outside and they died before I discovered what had happened. Thirdly, beware of placing momma hens and newborn chicks in pens with deep litter, like straw or wood chips. Twice I have placed babies with a hen, in a shed with several inches of litter on the floor. The first time the litter consisted of wood shavings. The second time it was old hay. In both of these occasions I had at least one baby disappear. The first time, I never found the body. The second time, the body showed up about a week later. What happened was that the newly hatched chicks were not strong and agile enough to escape when their momma started scratching and throwing the litter around, which is simply an instinctive habit as she looks for food. One or more chicks ended up under the litter and unable to dig out before suffocating. So be careful that hens with newborns are not in an environment with deep litter. After a week they > 75?

76 should be able to handle this, but not earlier. A Special Case: When a turkey hen slips out into the Bush to Nest. If one has turkeys which are allowed to free range, inevitably a hen will slip off to lay eggs somewhere in the underbrush. It can be maddeningly difficult to locate her nest, and, she will slip off almost every day, for a week or more, laying eggs there, before she starts spending any amount of time setting on that nest. Once she > 76?

77 goes hard broody she will only come off the nest for about an hour a day. Some days she won't come off the nest at all. If a turkey hen tries to hatch eggs out in the brush, the likelihood of success is exceedingly small. We've had turkeys for decades and I cannot recall a single incidence, in which a turkey succeeded in hatching a clutch out in the underbrush. I've had them sit on a nest for as long as three weeks, without incident. But inevitably, just before the eggs are to hatch, a predator will get them, and probably also the hen. If a turkey hen does come up missing and you suspect she has a nest out in the bush, here are a couple of things to do: 1. Keep an eye open for her. If she reappears, it will most likely be at feeding time. > 77?

78 2. Try to trace her back to her nest. This can be difficult. A turkey hen never returns directly to her nest, but rather, weaves and backtracks in her return trajectory. This is even more pronounced if she suspects you are following. Sometimes the best way to do this is to use a pair of binoculars and watch her from a long way away. This way she won't suspect that she's being watched. 3. If one simply cannot find the bird, it would probably be best to nab her when she comes out and confine her, so she cannot return to that nest. The eggs will be lost. But the hen will be saved from almost certain death. If you manage to find the nest, the eggs can be moved to a safe location. Here's how: Go to the hen and her nest after dark. If possible, have one person hold her while another > 78?

79 gathers up her eggs and places them in a portable nest box. 20 Put the nest box and eggs right on top of the spot where the hen had been nesting. This will prevent her from choosing to set on an empty nest instead of her eggs, which are now in a nest box. Put the hen turkey in the nest box, on her eggs. Nine times out of ten she will very happily settle on those eggs. Leave her for the night. She needs time to get used to the box. After dark, the next night, go get the hen and her nest box. It would probably be best to have one person carry her and another carry her nest box and eggs. Some hens will get agitated when being 20 This is simply a box, large enough to accommodate the hen, suitable to be moved, and already lined with nesting material. > 79?

80 moved and may cause damage to the eggs. So, have one person carry her separately. Place the nest box in a closed pen, with shelter, food and water. Place the hen on her eggs. It is important that she not be able to leave the pen, as she will likely try after sunrise. Giving her an entire night of darkness, during which she will become somewhat accustomed to her new environment, greatly helps with the transition. From this point on, until after the poults are hatched, it is important not to let the hen out of that pen. She only has a bird brain. Much of what she does is pure instinct, not reasoning. So, if she gets out, she will most likely abandon her eggs and go sit where her nest used to be! > 80?

81 A hen turkey with newborn poults This same technique can be used to move a chicken. But keep in mind that there is much variation in character between different breeds of chickens. Some breeds will break up 21 after being moved. Some breeds handle moving better than others. Our Buckeyes can be moved just like a turkey hen. But, any chicken will face the same confusion caused by being moved. They will all have it in their heads that their nest is back where it used to be. Any hen, moved with her nest, will need to be confined in a small pen or cage, with her new nest, so she cannot lose it. 21 Break up means that they will stop wanting to sit on eggs. > 81?