Help...first time...2 broody hens!!!!!!!!!

[chickita]

Hello!

We have 4 hens + 1 rooster. Two of the hens have been sitting on eggs (we believe some are theirs + some are the others). It has been about 2 weeks...

We'd love to have baby chicks, however, we're not sure of the process. First, should we continue to let the hens sit on the eggs in hopes that they hatch? (21 days?) Is it necessary to check if all of the eggs are fertile (not sure if we can even get the hens off of the eggs, they both get feisty if we attempt to go near their nesting boxes. Will non-fertile eggs in the bunch hinder the prospect of baby chicks?

If we are lucky + the eggs hatch, (they are all together in a chicken coop) do we need to separate the chicks from the hens and rooster immediately? Will the mother hen take care of them?

Just curious, if a hen is sitting on the eggs, I assume she stops laying an egg daily?

Thanks for any help!

 

[gumpsgirl]

If the hens have already been sitting on the eggs for 2 wks, then it won't be much longer and you should have chicks! Chances of the eggs being fertile are pretty darn good if you have 1 rooster to 4 hens.

If there are non-fertile eggs, they won't hinder the other eggs from hatching.

When the eggs do hatch, you most definitely need to separate the chicks and the momma hens from the others. They will kill the chicks. Momma hens will take care of their own babies, but you need a set up where they can each be separate with their babies. I find it absolutely fascinating watching my broody hens cluck softly to their eggs each day and then how they just take such good care of their babies from day one. I honestly don't think there is anything more precious!

The hens do stop laying from the time they go broody until they are done raising their chicks, which is usually until the chicks are 6 wks. old but there are exceptions. Some hens do leave their babies earlier though and then you will have to brood them with a heat lamp.

Good luck!

 

[suebee]

First thing is you should have marked the ones they originally sat on with an X. That way if any of the other hens laid after that, you could get those out. You may have a staggered hatch if not.

I candle mine after 1 week and toss any that aren't developing.
You can candle by holding a very bright flashlight up to the egg in a dark room. If you see dark spots or veins then it's developing.

I would separate the two hens from the others. They can hatch together, but not around the other hens or roosters because they may try to kill the chicks.
If they try to peck you, try using gloves, but they should be isolated.
The moms will defend the chicks once they hatch, but be careful
.
Yes the broody hens stop laying eggs, but the other hens do not so make sure they don't lay in that nest box.

If you want chicks then by all means let them sit another week. Just because they don't all hatch doesn't mean they aren't fertile. They may be late since you didn't mark them.

Happy Hatching! We'd be happy to answer any other questions.

 

[Mahlzeit]

Hey Chickita,

If you want baby chicks then I would surely let them sit on the eggs to hatch them out. The best thing to do if at all possible would be to seperate them. You don't want the other hens to continue to lay an egg in there and have the first eggs hatch and the others left half incubated. I would go and check the eggs at night when they can't see. They have always been less aggressive then in my experience. Having non fertile eggs in there will not hinder the process of the others. The mother will take care of her own babies but they will need to be fed chick starter so you will need to have them seperated. It's not good for the babies if they eat the adult food. When a hen sits on a nest she does stop laying an egg. I hope this helps.

 

[suebee]

Gump...you beat me by a...beak!

 

[chickita]

Thanks for all the helpful advice!

I am glad we checked, the one broody hen was sitting on eggs that weren't fertile

(Araucana...Easter Egg chicken + bantam rooster) We had a feeling they weren't mating. However, we did have better luck with the smaller hens laying eggs that were fertilized.

So now we will wait...hopefully in a week or so!

Question: I've read that it could take over 24 hrs for a chick to come out of its shell. Do I have to separate the mother hen + the unhatched eggs she was sitting on or should I wait until the chick is completely out of the shell? Should I be concerned about the rooster + the other hens during this process? Again, thanks for the help!

 

[CAranchgirl]

I hope I'm answering your question correctly, but the chicks should be able to hatch underneath the hen. The eggs need the warmth of the hen to help them hatch. Even when they hatch as much as 24 hours apart, the ones that already hatch will not be a problem for the slower eggs trying to hatch. I've had a late baby hatch 2 days after the first 4 and she was fine!

I don't think you need to worry about the rooster and other hens because the newly hatched babies will stay pretty much under the hen, and she will be sitting tight on them! My hens continue sitting for the first 2 or 3 days that the babies are hatching...it seems that this is to give all the eggs a chance to hatch, and keep the new babies nice and warm.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[chickita]

CAranchgirl, THANK YOU for answering my questions. I didn't know the eggs hatch underneath the mother hen! (I didn't think they could breathe) I will wait until they all hatch (let's hope) and then will separate them from the rest of the gang.

Again, thanks to everyone for your help. I am so excited to see my first peeps!

 

[CAranchgirl]

Glad I could help! No, the chicks can breath and although it seems it would be hard for them to hatch, it somehow works well! And the warmth is very important. One thing that I do check when they are hatching, usually at night so I don't disturb the mom too much, is to take out eggshell from the chicks that have already hatched...but this is just so I don't worry about a sharp edge poking the babies!

Good luck and hope to hear that it turns out well!

 

[suebee]

Quote:
Yes CA, good tip, I do that too!