That is what I was wondering about. I read somewhere ( not sure where) that they have a mysterious way of controlling the hatch because hens don't lay all their eggs the same day. I was figuring that I might be able to remove the eggs and add them to the incubator for the last few days if I need to. I will candle them before hand. Given the fertility rate I would be lucky to get one!
That is what I was wondering about. I read somewhere ( not sure where) that they have a mysterious way of controlling the hatch because hens don't lay all their eggs the same day. I was figuring that I might be able to remove the eggs and add them to the incubator for the last few days if I need to. I will candle them before hand. Given the fertility rate I would be lucky to get one!
How is your weather these days???
How would they hide them? Or do they hide them when they can lay them outdoors?They way they control the hatch is by "hiding" the eggs they lay and not sitting on them until their clutch reaches the size they want. Then they sit on all of the eggs at one time. An egg needs to be exposed to 95+ degrees for a full 24 hours before it starts to develop. By sitting on all of the eggs at the same time, the mother hen increases the likelihood that the eggs will all hatch within about a 24-hour period, making her life a lot easier.
Our weather is finally improving. "Fall" in southern AZ usually means temperatures around 90* or lower in the daytime and as low as the mid-50s at night.The chickens are VERY happy with the change.
How would they hide them? Or do they hide them when they can lay them outdoors?
Glad to hear it is cooling off! Our days are in the upper 70s and the nights are in the 50s. It is 54 right now. The grass is wet in the morning... I wish I could keep it this way all year round.
That is interesting. My neighbors were chicken sitting at the end of August (trip to India!) and one of our EE hens refuses to stay in the outer run. She flies over the gate and free ranges at her leisure. She goes in and out until they all go into the coop. I close the gate at dusk, and open it at 7 am, when she begins her wanderlust. Wendi found a stash of her eggs between the straw bales of our vegetable garden!. She hasn't exhibited any signs of broodiness, and she hasn't hidden her eggs since that happened. Perhaps we didn't have enough nest boxes when we left. We just added 3 more, but she wasn't laying outside after the original stash was found.
Thanks @Saris ! I will try that. I was thinking of letting the first chicks hatch and then putting the other eggs into the incubator. In the meantime I will play it by ear! This is a first time broody, but she is brooding successfully unlike her sister, so I am leaving her be. She has come out of the nest and returned within the hour. I think that she will do fine.
