questions about broodies hatching eggs

[LauraN]

Hi! I have 2-3 broody hens (BLRW, Australorp, and maybe a RIR) right now and I've been collecting eggs from the D'Uccle that I would like one of them to hatch.

~Is it okay that these eggs have been in a basket in the dining room starting 8 days ago (adding one almost every day)?

~We are almost done with a bantam tractor. We now have a tractor with 2 bantam hens, bantam rooster, 11 standard hens--grew up together. When I am ready to have a hen start setting do the hen and eggs HAVE TO be moved to the new pen for safety of the chicks? Move the hen at night into the nest waiting with eggs?

~If I purchase a trio of bantam cochins (2 sweet hens and a roo that is apparently very wimpy) would I not be able to put the setting hen (probably a standard BLRW) in with the new cochins to hatch and raise the bantam chicks?

~Would I be able to put the mommy hen with just the new bantam HENS and temporarily keep the cochin ROOSTER with the others? I really don't want another rooster in there. I think they're all very happy that we finally found homes for the other roosters we had.

We've never hatched eggs and we're excited about the possibility. I've also always wanted some bantam cochins, especially the frizzled rooster. They're a great price, almost 1 yo. Help!

Thanks!
Laura

 

[KellyHM]

If you want to have her with other chickens it would be best to leave her with the ones she already knows than to put her with new ones. They may fight and she may stop being broody, or the new hens may kill the chicks. Your current hens may kill them too, but only time will tell.

 

[LauraN]

Thanks. I didn't think of her having to "work things out" with the new ones. Gosh, if one of these new hens were broody I'd use her and it would be solved. I'm thinking I might have to pass on the cochins and get some later when I'm not trying to hatch.

I really want to see some chicks hatch (so do my kids). Any more ideas/advice from anyone?
Laura

 

[Scifisarah]

The eggs should probably be okay, but it is best if they are stored at lower temps, 55-65 I think. Eggs can hatch if you keep them a few weeks even, but their chances go down the longer you keep them. I would have them incubate and just candle after 7 days to remove any that don't show the veining.

I had trouble with keeping two sitting hens next to each other. They kept getting out of their nests and trying to steal the other's eggs and ended up breaking a few. I solved the problem by placing a board between them that went to the waterer so they both still had access to that and gave them their own feed dish on each side.

 

[elmo]

The safest thing is to let a broody have her own space for incubation, and then raise her chicks by herself for a while until they get bigger. If your broody is setting eggs in an area with other chickens, there's the possibility she might get scared off the nest and the eggs chill, or other hens may add eggs to the nest, break eggs, etc.

After hatch, other hens will sometimes attack chicks, and sometimes hens fight over them.