Questions About Broody Chickens and or Raising Eggs

[chickengirl2013]

I have recently aquired eight brown buff orpington chickens, two of which are roosters (we are going to eat one of them) and the remaining six are hens, so we think. I say this because the young chickens are only two to three months old. They are not laying yet and have not begun to lay but since this is my first time raising chickens, I have some questions about broodiness and egg raising.

I have read that buffs are excessively broody. I have heard that they will become broody for no reason, will be broody on no eggs at all, will be broody on non-fertile eggs, and will brood on fertile eggs. Is this true? I want my chickens to mate and I want my hens to lay fertile eggs so that the mother hens can hatch them. However, I have also heard that this can take up to twenty-one days: I don't want to assume that an egg is fertile and then waste all that time (during which the hen is not laying) only to discover that the egg was not fertile.

So....... Can I tell which eggs are fertile without cracking them? If not, is there a way to predict that the egg being brooded upon is fertile? Also, how will I be able to trust a hen to succsefully hatch an egg?


Remember, I still have a couple of months left until the chickens start laying. I just want to be prepared for what is yet to come in my chicken raising career.

Thanks So Much! ​

 

[SilkiesForEver]

I have recently aquired eight brown buff orpington chickens, two of which are roosters (we are going to eat one of them) and the remaining six are hens, so we think. I say this because the young chickens are only two to three months old. They are not laying yet and have not begun to lay but since this is my first time raising chickens, I have some questions about broodiness and egg raising.

I have read that buffs are excessively broody. I have heard that they will become broody for no reason, will be broody on no eggs at all, will be broody on non-fertile eggs, and will brood on fertile eggs. Is this true? I want my chickens to mate and I want my hens to lay fertile eggs so that the mother hens can hatch them. However, I have also heard that this can take up to twenty-one days: I don't want to assume that an egg is fertile and then waste all that time (during which the hen is not laying) only to discover that the egg was not fertile.

So....... Can I tell which eggs are fertile without cracking them? If not, is there a way to predict that the egg being brooded upon is fertile? Also, how will I be able to trust a hen to succsefully hatch an egg?


Remember, I still have a couple of months left until the chickens start laying. I just want to be prepared for what is yet to come in my chicken raising career.

Thanks So Much! ​

Opringtons are a very broody breed.
If your roosters are not "doing their job" then the eggs are definitely NOT fertile.
Also, God designed hens to know exactly what to do when broody. Sometimes a hen won't do as good a job as another, but that is just a hens nature.
There is a process called candling, (which I do alot with my broody hens eggs,) in-which you shine a strong flash light into the egg and it allows you to see if the egg is developing, and the growth process of a chick.

I hope I answered all your questions, and if I didn't, or you have others please let me know.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Oh, and also, there is no such thing as a "brown buff Orpington". "Buff" is a color, and not the breed name.

 

[LukensFarms]

Just to add a touch, chickens have no way of knowing whether an egg is fertile or not. Many of my hens have sat on plastic Easter eggs for me to get them started being broody. So a trick if you only want a hen to hatch a couple of checks is to add several plastic Easter eggs to her nest so she will go broody sooner.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Just to add a touch, chickens have no way of knowing whether an egg is fertile or not. Many of my hens have sat on plastic Easter eggs for me to get them started being broody. So a trick if you only want a hen to hatch a couple of checks is to add several plastic Easter eggs to her nest so she will go broody sooner.

Or golf balls.

My broodies are sitting on some right now.

 

[chickengirl2013]

Thanks for telling me about the candling thing, that is exactly what I was wondering. How developed must the chick fetus be before you can "candle" the egg?

 

[chickengirl2013]

So, if I put easter eggs under a hen that is not broody, will that increase the chance of her going broody/ make her want to brood?

 

[SilkiesForEver]

So, if I put easter eggs under a hen that is not broody, will that increase the chance of her going broody/ make her want to brood?

It should. I put a clutch of golf balls, or non fertile eggs in my nest boxes, and usually one of my Silkies will become broody soon after. But, remember. All broodies are different. I have an Orpington, and she's never been broody her entire life.

Thanks for telling me about the candling thing, that is exactly what I was wondering. How developed must the chick fetus be before you can "candle" the egg?

With a flash light, you should be able to see veins, and a "black spot" (the heart) within a week.

 

[chickengirl2013]

Okay thanks. One more question: once my hen is broody, should I let her hatch her own eggs or replace them with eggs that I know will hatch? Can candling an egg or removing it from the hen be dangerous to the growing chick inside?

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Okay thanks. One more question: once my hen is broody, should I let her hatch her own eggs or replace them with eggs that I know will hatch? Can candling an egg or removing it from the hen be dangerous to the growing chick inside?

If you have a rooster, your eggs should hatch better than shipped or store bought.

Candling is not dangerous, but you can kill the embryo by keeping it away from its mother too long. I only candle my eggs for about 5 minutes. Then its straight back to momma.

I also take notes on my eggs, and then eventually the chicks.