Broody Hatchings
I’ve just realised it’s been nearly two weeks since my last post. I have to say that I’ve been so busy that it just slipped my mind! So now there’s loads to catch up on…
Firstly, in my last post, I mentioned the last three Pekin eggs that I had in my incubator. Two of these three hatched on Monday 7th June, and are doing well. The third died after ‘pipping’ – I have no idea why – it’s the first time I’ve lost a chick between piping and hatching.
The next arrivals that I had were on Thursday and Friday of last week (10th & 11th June) when eight Red Sussex chicks made their arrival. These are doing well, see the image below. I originally had 18 Red Sussex eggs, 4 of which I put under by broody Pekin hen. Of the remaining 14, one of was cracked, three quit, and two were infertile.
Eight Red Sussex chicks
Finally, on Monday of this week, 14th June, my Pekin hen finally emerged from her nest with three chicks in tow – two Pekins and one Red Sussex. Unfortunately, one of the two Pekins got trapped behind a loose nest box and died L – I’ll be more vigilant about my set-up in future. The remaining two chicks are now doing well with their Mammy – see below.
Pekin Hen with two chicks
The major surprise for me was what I discovered after my Pekin hen left her nest with her brood. As I mentioned in my previous post, she started off sitting on two of her own eggs (which both hatched), plus four Red Sussex eggs (one of which hatched). On 6th June I found one Red Sussex egg pushed out of her nest (this turned out to have been developing well, so why it was pushed out was a mystery at the time). So, four less one pushed out, less one hatched, would leave two remaining Red Sussex eggs left in the nest box when she left it….only I didn’t find two, I found six!
| Red Sussex Eggs Report | |
| Cracked | 1 |
| Infertile | 3 |
| Quit in incubator | 3 |
| Quit under Pekin | 1 |
| Hatched in incubator | 8 |
| Hathced by Pekin | 1 |
| Pushed out of nest | 1 |
| TOTAL | 18 |
On closer examination, two of these six turned out to be the original Red Sussex eggs. I candled these and one was infertile and one had quit. The other eggs were not Pekin eggs, and the only other hens I have are my laying Goldlines. As such, the only possible conclusion I can come to is that one or more of my Goldlines had been helping my Pekin with her clutch, whenever she got the chance. What amazes me is that I only ever saw my Pekin hen off her clutch for ten or fifteen minutes, two or three times a week. So for a Goldline to spot her off of her eggs, nip in, and lay an egg herself, is pretty sneaky! Even more sneaky when the trick has been repeated four times! I also think that these extra eggs are the reason for the perfectly viable Red Sussex egg being ejected from the nest – conceivably my Pekin could have been sat on as many as ten eggs at one point, eight of them large chicken eggs, so no wonder she got fed up and kicked one out!
To add a final twist, I candled all four of the Goldline eggs, and all four were fertile and partially developed…as the only man around the place is my Pekin c*ck, then these four must be a Goldline/Pekin cross. I now have them in my incubator, and they are progressing well, but I’ve absolutely no idea what they will turn out like. Seeing as Goldlines are a Rhode Island Red/Red Sussex cross themselves, anything that comes out is going to have RIR, Red Sussex and Pekin genes…maybe they’ll make nice pets?!
The only other eggs I have on the go at the moment are four Light Sussex eggs, now in my ‘hatching’ incubator. These are due to hatch tomorrow (Thursday 16th June) and even as I type two have pipped. These four are from my second batch of six from a supplier in Longford.
Rowan Hill Living 