A different kind of sperm donation
Offspring without a cock
If you don’t have a cockerel but still want offspring in your henhouse, you can reach into your bag of tricks and organize hatching eggs. It is even possible to hatch several breeds at once – so feel free to mix and match your order.
Buy hatching eggs
You can get these either from private individuals, poultry breeding clubs or on the internet(eBay classifieds). However, you should call the hatchery supplier beforehand to find out what makes them tick. There are also black sheep in the industry, most of whom send unfertilized or poorly packaged eggs.
Well-padded, shipping by post is no problem. In this way, you can also have different breeds from different sources hatched at the same time. However, there should be at least 10241-2 days storage time between arrival in the parcel and the start of incubation.
The hatching eggs can then either be placed under a broody hen or incubated in an incubator.
After 21 days, we will see how everything has worked out.
To be on the safe side, you should get a few more eggs than you want to hatch and discard the poorer ones.
Eggs with cracks and small imperfections or adhering droppings and crumbs of lime – throw them away. Eggs that are smaller than the average of the other comparison eggs – throw them away. Small eggs also hatch into small, weak chicks.
Storing hatching eggs
After approx. 2 weeks of storage, the hatching rate of the eggs slowly decreases. However, there are also cases in which many chicks have hatched after more than 1 1/2 months of storage.
The storage conditions of hatching eggs are important here.
Storage conditions for hatching eggs
– approx. 8 to 16 degrees
– dark
– not in a draught
– approx. 75 % humidity
– don’t forget to turn
Turning the eggs
Hatching eggs are stored horizontally. The best way to do this is to use an egg carton and place it on one of the narrow sides. The carton is then turned over to the other narrow side at least once a day. This prevents the yolk from sticking to the inside of the shell.
During incubation, the automaton or mother hen takes over this job for you.