Thanks everyone for all the advice on 'Imprinting on chicks & misc chick questions'.
All of this hatching chicks stuff is new to me and an absolute wonder! I have a styrofoam incubator but the regulator is off so I had to abandon my 1st batch of fertile eggs I had been collecting. In the meantime, I have 30+ laying size hens of various breeds and only 1 Easter Egger rooster. I had been keeping him in a separate pen but then I decided to rebuild his area so I put him back in with my main flock while I was working on it. After about 1 week with the girls, low and behold 8 hens went broody (mainly Buff Orpingtons, Cochins & a Welsumer). I tried everything I read to get them to stop being broody but they were very persistent & it only worked on 2 of them. Since my incubator wasn't working, I decided `if you can't beat them, then join them'. I took all my 7 EE chickens (with muffs & beard) and threw them in with the EE rooster in his new pen. My 1st batch are now 2 weeks old. My 2nd batch just finished hatching today and I have 12 adorable chicks out of 12 eggs! I also bought some Barnevelder & Speckled Sussex hatching eggs off eBay and divided them equally under 2 of the other hens. They are due to hatch in 2 more days but I have heard that the mail can jostle them around quit a bit so I have my fingers crossed. In addition, I have 2 more hens sitting on a dozen EE eggs a piece due next week and the following week.
I have been raising chickens for years but who knew that hatching chicks would be so much fun!
Jennie
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