Saffy doesn't seem to be incubating her eggs so much any more. She seems to be off the nest a lot more. So I candled the eggs, found 4 that looked like they were fertile.

Isis is still incubating her two unfertile eggs, so I took two fertile eggs from Saffy's clutch and put them under Isis.

I hope this was the right thing to do as Isis has her two chicks which may spoil the eggs. But once the eggs hatch I'll put the chicks back in with Saffron.

Is this a good move?

Thank you for your help.

Edited February 4, 200718 yr by Sailorwolf

Saffy doesn't seem to be incubating her eggs so much any more. She seems to be off the nest a lot more. So I candled the eggs, found 4 that looked like they were fertile.

Isis is still incubating her two unfertile eggs, so I took two fertile eggs from Saffy's clutch and put them under Isis.

I hope this was the right thing to do as Isis has her two chicks which may spoil the eggs. But once the eggs hatch I'll put the chicks back in with Saffron.

Is this a good move?

Thank you for your help.

 

Seems like a good idea to give the eggs to Isis and maybe give Saffy a break entirely. But if the eggs still have quite awhile before hatching, they may not work out. There is a lot of variables here. Depends on if Saffy hasnt incubated the eggs consistantly enough for them to hatch perhaps ? If she has been keeping them incubated then you move them to Isis, it should be okay. Eggs that get poopy from older chicks sometimes dont hatch even if they were fertile in the beginning.

Seems to me you risk dead in shell chicks either way, but the safest bet might be in putting them with Isis and take your chance and retire Saffy from breeding for now if her heart isnt in it. Generally a hen loses interest if she isnt well or has had enough.

Hope this has been of some help

Thank you very much Karen. You have put my mind at ease.