For any animals and birds, the process of producing offspring is quite common. And although it seems that there is nothing easier than sitting down a hen to hatch clutch, there are still a lot of nuances and pitfalls in this business, which we will discuss in this article. We will talk about how to arrange a place for a hen, which way of selecting eggs will bring more success, what conditions need to be created for the chicken during the incubation period. So, let's understand.
How to arrange and where to place the nest for the hen
One of the fundamental rules in placing a nest for a hen is to avoid a stressful situation in a hen that may arise due to a sudden change of place of stay, because some farmers allocate a separate room for the hen that is different from where it was before. Such a dramatic change in the situation can make the chicken nervous and do any stupid things, like spitting up eggs.
Learn how to wean the chicken to hatch eggs.
Another important point is the relative insulation. One cannot make noise near the hen hen, it must feel secure. It is necessary to take care that no direct sunlight would fall on the nest. This place should be shaky and moderately wet.
The filler of the nest must be periodically replaced so that it does not begin to sing and decompose.
A container with water should be placed next to the nest so that the bird can refresh itself at any time, in addition, such a container will contribute to the normalization of air humidity. If the air temperature is too high, you can sprinkle the floor in the hen house with water so that the hen is not hot.
As for the material of the nest, then all natural should be preferred: wood, wickerwork, straw, hay, twigs, etc. A wooden box or wicker basket, covered with fresh straw or hay, will do.
Important! To hens it takes a lot of free space in the nest to periodically change position. To this end, it must be equipped quite large, leaving about 5-7 cm between the hen and the sides. The recommended size of the nest is 45x35 cm.The bottom of such a container should be lined with sawdust or ash, and already lay straw over it. Sawdust or ash will take away excess moisture from the perch. When lining a nest with straw, it is necessary to create a cup shape, deepening the center and lifting the sides so that the eggs are kept in a heap and do not fall out of the nest.
Forming a nest: video
Sometimes it happens that the hen itself shows the favorite place to the owner. In this case, you should take into account this fact and equip the nest in the place indicated by the future mom.
If there are several chicks, you need to fence off the nests from each other with sheets of plywood so that the chickens do not see or disturb each other. So that the birds do not move far from the nest, you need to put the drinkers and feeders for each of them individually and closer to the nest.
Learn how the incubation of chicken eggs, as well as the characteristics of the incubators "AI-48", "Ryabushka 70", "TGB 140", "Sovatutto 24", "Sovatutto 108", "Nest 100", "Layer", "Ideal hen "," Cinderella "," Titan "," Blitz "," Neptune "," Kvochka "
How to select eggs under the hen
The selection of eggs for incubation will be an important step, which will determine the further success of the work in the number of hatched chicks. Below is a list of basic recommendations for the correct selection of suitable specimens for subsequent incubation:
- when inspecting eggs, exclude broken, dirty, too small and too large;
- Conduct a study of each specimen on the ovoskop and exclude those where "krasuks" (they contain proteins with yolks) or "cuffs" (they contain turbid, dark and opaque) were identified;
- You can only lay fresh eggs or those that were stored under proper conditions (in a dark room with an air temperature no higher than + 12 ° C and relative humidity of 75%).
If there is a need, you can mark the eggs of one kind or another, so that confusion does not occur later.
We should also pay attention not only to the selection of eggs, but also to those birds that are ready to become chicks. As a rule, with the arrival of spring, some chickens begin to actively develop maternal instinct. This can be seen from a number of factors, namely:
- active clucking;
- excessive perseverance in the nest and unwillingness to leave it;
- plucking the chicken feathers and putting them in the nest.
Did you know? It is possible to check the chicken for the presence of chickens instinct with the help of deceptions - any eggs or oval objects. If the chicken will conscientiously sit on a fake clutch for more than 3 days in a row, then it can be considered acceptable and replace the fake clutch with a real one. Sometimes such a check shows that after a day or two, the hen leaves the nest irretrievably. Such a hen cannot be used.
How and how many eggs you can put under one chicken
The answer to this question will be the maximum area that the chicken is able to cover with its body.
You should not allow such a situation, when part of the extreme eggs half bulges out from under the hen. These eggs will not receive a sufficient amount of heat, and, therefore, the chickens will not be able to receive proper development and will not be born.
The chicken itself is able to calculate the number of eggs it can hatch. To do this, put a couple dozen eggs in the nest next to the sitting chicken. She will start to roll them under her beak, forming the right amount. Unnecessary specimens or those that were not covered with her body should be removed.
It is also worth emphasizing that the eggs should be placed only in one layer. On average, up to 15 eggs can fit under one hen.
Did you know? A chicken is a unique bird, because its maternal instinct is so developed that it is able to hatch not only chicken, but also goose, quail, duck and turkey eggs, taking them for their own. Therefore, the chicken can be used as an excellent hen to hatch all types of poultry eggs.
How to care for a hen during a brooding period
Often the maternal instinct of the chicken makes her forget about herself and sit in the nest all the time, not leaving her, to quench her thirst or hunger. Such a situation may have a negative impact on the hen's health, which may even lead to its death.
The hen needs to be periodically driven from the nest for feeding.
To prevent this, you need to resort to the violent method of feeding. It is necessary to remove the chicken from the nest and carry it to the place where it receives food and water. But one should take into account the fact that after such manipulations the bird may not want to return back to the nest.
In this case, it should be attributed and forcibly seated in a nest. Over time, the hen will develop a certain reflex, and it will independently leave the nest, returning to it in a short time. During its absence, you will be able to replace the litter and check the development of embryos.
Important! A properly developing embryo should not be visible through the shell, because it is surrounded by a layer of protein. If, when checking the eggs, you find a chicken embryo in the immediate vicinity of the shell (this can be seen from the dark silhouette), such an egg should be replaced, since the development of the embryo in this case is incorrect. Check the eggs in the nest should be after the first week of incubation.In case you find a crushed egg, you must immediately remove it and replace the soiled litter.
And while the hen leaves the nest, the eggs left should be covered with something to avoid temperature drops. As such material, straw, hay or a fragment of an old blanket can be used, which should be removed as soon as the hen returns to its hen's duties.
When the chicks begin to be born, the cracked shells should be quickly removed from the nest, because its sharp edges prevent the hens from sitting in the nest and often cause them to escape prematurely.
Learn how to care for chickens after incubation.
How many days does a chicken sit on eggs?
The average is considered the term of incubation in 21 days. During this period, it is recommended to monitor the process of embryonic development three times using an ovoscope. During such inspections, it is necessary to identify the quality of embryos and, if necessary, adjust the incubation conditions.
Ovoskopirovaniya chicken eggs by day
The optimal dates of checks are the seventh, eleventh and eighteenth days from the moment of the bookmark.
- During the first inspection, you should not detect an embryo near the shell. Allowed its shadow and the development of blood vessels in the yolk. If the embryo develops incorrectly, then its vessels will be almost black and arranged in a ring. This fact will indicate the death of the embryo. Unfertilized eggs will also be revealed during this inspection, as they will be completely bright, like a normal egg.
- During the second inspection, you will find that the embryo's shadow has increased and now occupies about a quarter of the entire egg area. The network of blood vessels at the same time will be even more dense and strongly developed.
- But at the third examination, you will already observe the mobility of the baby from the blunt side of the egg. The nestling will occupy almost all of its internal space and prepare to be born.
Learn how to feed chickens, how to treat chickens diarrhea, how to get chicken for walking.
The first chickens can break through the shell already on day 19. And full hatching will occur on the 20-21 day. Do not be afraid if the chicks hatched a little earlier or, conversely, a little later. These are natural, natural processes, the change of which occurs depending on the conditions in which the eggs were stored before incubation.
When the chicks hatch, they should be left for a couple of hours next to the mother and let them dry, and then transplanted into a separate basket or box laid out with soft materials (the best option would be to use warm and thick fabric or paper).
It is recommended to keep newborn chickens at a temperature of +35 ° C, gradually reducing it by 2 degrees every 5 days, bringing the total to +20 ° C. As a preheat, you can use a low incandescent lamp.
Did you know? The numerical ratio of sexes in chickens is 50/50.
Caring for the hen with young stock consists in their timely feeding, watering and observing the necessary temperature conditions.
Now you know how the whole process of breeding chickens proceeds: from the moment of nest placement and selection of eggs to the final stage, when small yellow lumps appear.
Guided by the rules and recommendations given in our article, you will be able to successfully breed a new generation of chickens, and the mother hen will receive everything you need to ensure that the entire lengthy brooding process takes place as comfortably as possible.
Placement for a hen: video
How to care for the hen: reviews
vintik, how to care for hen chicken
How to care for the hen hen chicken; care for the hen during the brooding period determines the results of hatching. during this period it is necessary to ensure that the hen regularly, 1-2 times a day, leaves the nest for feeding, watering and walking. therefore, if the chicken does not leave the nest on its own, it should be removed, the nest should be closed, and the bird should be let out. the hen is let out for 15-20 minutes. if she herself does not return to the nest, she is forced to return there. when the bird leaves the nest, it is better to cover the eggs in order to keep them from cooling.
feed hen can be feed and whole grains. you should also feed them various root vegetables and greens.
near the nest, a little away from it, for the brood, you need to put a feeder with a dry cereal mixture (whole or coarse barley, oats or corn), a feeder with gravel and crushed charcoal and clean cool water.
on hot days, poultry farmers sometimes put water in a flat, stable cup so that the hen can, if desired, wet their feathers. near the nest, at a distance of 1.5-2 m, you need to put the ash bath (a box with ash and sand) in which the hen could "bathe". This is very useful as it frees the birds from insects.
for a walk the hens usually leave the nest early in the morning. while she is walking and feeding, the poultry farmer should inspect the nest. if it turns out that the hen has polluted the nest or crushed the egg, it is necessary to clean it carefully, replace the litter. polluted eggs should be carefully washed with warm water, but not wiped, as this will destroy the nadkorlupny film (it is better not to wash the whole egg, but only the contaminated part of it).
On the first day, the hen should not be disturbed, even if she did not go out for a walk: let her sit, get used to the nest. but on the second day (and in the subsequent days) the hen stubbornly sitting on eggs must be removed from the nest if it did not go out for a walk. It is necessary to remove the hen from the nest very carefully: an inexperienced poultry farmer with a chicken can lift an egg (in such cases it is squeezed under the hen’s wing, and then falls and breaks).
it should be observed how the hen is walking, whether it has taken food, drank water, if it has excreted itself and how soon it has returned to the nest. usually in the first days the chicken walks around 8-12 minutes (which is quite normal), and then already 15-20 minutes (up to 25-30 minutes on very warm days). if the hen has "forgotten" about the nest, you will have to plant it there, but you should not hurry with it, especially on warm days.
at the beginning of brooding (the first 2-3 days) and at the end, during the chicks hatching period, one should not unduly disturb the hens and force them to leave the nest. during this period, sharp and prolonged cooling of the eggs is undesirable. at the end of incubation, before the hatching of chicks, the hens sit tight on the nest, but sometimes it happens that some leave it. in this case, chicks are kept in the nest, covering it with a basket or other device.
During the hatching period, the anxiety of the hens may cause the eggshell from the hatching eggs, so it must be periodically removed from the nest.
