Adding new fertile to my hen, please help.

[Petechicks]

Hi, I have an Asil hen that been brooding for 3 weeks now, but her unhatch chicks are not what I want (mix/hybrid). So i recently got some fertile eggs that need to be sit on for another 21 days. Will the hen be willing to sit in these newly eggs when I replace it with her old eggs?

Have yall done the same, or try? What were your experiences?

 

[MGG]

First of all, welcome to BYC! No, you can't make her sit on those eggs for another 21 days. You will need to just incubate them or eat them. Are her current eggs fertile? When hens go broody, they don't eat or drink as much and only defecate once or twice a day. They put everything they have into hatching those eggs, even if they get super thin, dehydrated, sick, etc. It takes a toll on their little bodies. Once they finally get done with those 21 days they have to work hard to gain bak the weight they lost, and they work hard to care for those new chicks for the next few months. If you make her go through that whole incubation period again, she will get very sickly, dangerously thin, and she probably will stop sitting, leaving you in a difficult spot. You will either have to run out and get an incubator, (local ones usually aren't very good quality ones) or you will have to cull the poor young embryos. There is almost no way she will make it for 42 days of sitting, and still be able to properly care for the new chicks. If you had given them to her a week to a week and a half in, maybe, but now after the 3 weeks I think it is too risky. Sorry.

 

[Petechicks]

First of all, welcome to BYC! No, you can't make her sit on those eggs for another 21 days. You will need to just incubate them or eat them. Are her current eggs fertile? When hens go broody, they don't eat or drink as much and only defecate once or twice a day. They put everything they have into hatching those eggs, even if they get super thin, dehydrated, sick, etc. It takes a toll on their little bodies. Once they finally get done with those 21 days they have to work hard to gain bak the weight they lost, and they work hard to care for those new chicks for the next few months. If you make her go through that whole incubation period again, she will get very sickly, dangerously thin, and she probably will stop sitting, leaving you in a difficult spot. You will either have to run out and get an incubator, (local ones usually aren't very good quality ones) or you will have to cull the poor young embryos. There is almost no way she will make it for 42 days of sitting, and still be able to properly care for the new chicks. If you had given them to her a week to a week and a half in, maybe, but now after the 3 weeks I think it is too risky. Sorry.

Thank you, i really appreciate that. I didnt want her to do through that again, although I was told by others that hen can do that. So I decided to not make her sit there for another 21 days. It just feel awful.

 

[cmom]

I agree. You may need to invest in an incubator. There is a strong possibility she will not sit on the eggs. This is the time of year when birds tend to go broody. I have had broody's that don't want to give up and others that do. You never know but it is hard on the broody. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Petechicks]

I agree. You may need to invest in an incubator. There is a strong possibility she will not sit on the eggs. This is the time of year when birds tend to go broody. I have had broody's that don't want to give up and others that do. You never know but it is hard on the broody. Good luck and have fun.

What are you thoughts on cardboard box incubation? It thought it be cool to give that a try. What are the pro and cons to it than a real incubator?

 

[cmom]

I have a friend who put some eggs on a cloth in a Pyrex bowl and a heat lamp (not too close). All he checked was the temperature. Believe it or not, the eggs hatched. I love to experiment. Go for it. I made a homemade incubator/hatcher out of a styrofoam cooler. I have incubated in it, but now I incubate in my old cabinet incubator. I use the styrofoam incubators including the homemade one as hatchers. Works great. A few days ago I put 5 dozen eggs in the incubator. Hopefully they are all fertile. I have some doubts about one male but have some nice females in with my backup male. Again, good luck and have fun...