Starting to get excited about possible first hatch!! advice please!!

So, hi everyone!! I am starting to think today that one of my Rhode Island reds is going broody! This is a first for me, but I noticed it when the other hens kept walking in and out of the coop, I look in and she is there in the main nesting box (the one everyone likes to lay in). So I check back a couple hours later, and she's still there. So I look under her and she is bare on most of her under body (sorry not sure of the proper term, but I would consider it to be the breast and lower breast) and she seems to be getting ajatated by me touching her, and each time I check back, she's still there.

So... my rooster is still too young for fertile eggs, so I was thinking I would set some fertile quail eggs under her (as I am currently shopping incubaters to start hatching quail) BUT, thanks to all of you, I have read up and determined that I will not do that bc of the diseases that could be possibly spread to the quail. So that's out.....

But now I am thinking I should take advantage of this and buy some fertile eggs and let her hatch them!!!? What do you guys think? And does anyone know of a reputable place to buy fertile eggs that will ship in a decent amount of time? And do I have time? Will she stay broody until I get eggs??

Any comments are greatly appreciated!! Have a great day all!

~Candice

Just went out and got a pic of my girl, still sitting

I'd give her a few days just to make sure she's serious. Our most recent broody faked us out a few weeks before she truly went broody luckily I didn't give her eggs. I knew she really was broody because she would get all puffy when I got close. I would check around locally to see off you have a farm store or somewhere you could get some fertile eggs. Unless you're wanting a specific breed.

Ok, thanks you! I am wanting a specific breed, actually I was wondering if there are places you can order a few eggs of a couple or a few breeds. But I don't know if that's possible. I'm thinking fertile eggs are inexpensive, do you think I should go ahead and get some, then if in a few days she is still broody, give then to her?

Hopefully someone else can help you out with finding eggs. Most hatcheries have them but they seem very pricey to me. You could also check the for sale area here or ask around locally. I didn't care about breed so just bought some for $6/dozen from the farm

Thank you! And I have looked other times, but I cannot find the bst area on this site? I just figured it's bc I'm a new member? Anyway, I have a large run for my chickens and haven't decided to let them free range bc of all the dogs that run loose around here where I live. So, not wanting to overcrowd, I'm trying to be selective on what breeds I have. Looking for that colorful egg basket! Thanks though, I do appreciate your suggestions! Have a great day!

You have 20 posts so should be able to access it. If you click the top tab "forum" the last one on the drop down menu is bst

Oh, ok thanks! I found it! I will look there. So, do you think I should do something with her, because I've only gotten 1 egg since she's been in there. Do you think my other hens will move on to another box, or are they gonna go on strike till they get in that box to lay??

Oh also, if she does remain broody, what is a good number of eggs to give her? I have no idea I just realized??!

We chose to leave ours in the nesting box and it worked fine for us. We have four total for our nine hens. But the other hens insisted on laying in her box and bugging her and a couple eggs did break early on do to the extra commotion. I had marked them all so they didn't get mixed up with new laid eggs. If we do it again Id move her to her own space to sit. I think a dozen is common for a standard breed. 5 hatched out of our dozen. After candling I'm unsure if the others were even fertile which is a risk I took getting them from a farm.

Ok I will try to move her If she stays broody because we have 10 layers and they all insist on laying in that box (out of 8 total) . I think I read to do so at night. And as I am looking for fertile eggs, im finding that they are quite expensive. I didn't expect that! Anyway, we'll see what happens!