The atrocious weather this year has taken its toll on all activities. I even blame it for the lack of fertility! One of our geese began laying at the end of february right on queue. By the look of her first egg it wasn't the easiest of lay. I dutifully collected her first eggs, 1 laid every other day, until we had enough for the incubator and even put a couple under a clucky hen! Unfortunately none of the incubated goose eggs hatched.
Who was joined by another clucky hen and between them gathered 24 hens eggs to sit on along with the 2 goose eggs. Alas none of the eggs hatched and on one of the only hot days we had, a cunning fox in broad daylight, took most of my welsummer hens and the ginger chick. A friend gave us some eggs from a black minorca to incubate. I had some eggs from the ginger chick so the went in the incubator at the same time with some araucana eggs. From 24 eggs only 7 eggs hatched. 1 black minorca, 3 araucana's and the three from the ginger chick. She had run with 3 cocks but her preference must have been the barnvelder. her three postumous chicks are the strangest colours.
Its going to be interesting to see what colour eggs they lay.
Since that incubation we managed to hatch 3 brown leghorns from a batch of 20 and 2 bronze turkey's from 12 eggs. Not a good year at all.
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