Anyone ever taken eggs out of bator & put them under broody hen?

[PearlD]

OK, I'll try to keep this short...I have 12 turkeys eggs due to hatch this Thursday. I'll stop turning them tomorrow, but before I do, I had a thought......

.........What if I put them under my Huge broad-breasted turkey hen, who has been sitting for 2 weeks, and let her hatch them out?

I mean, she only has 2 eggs under her, and anyone who has seen the pics of her that I have posted before knows that there is PLENTY of room under there....

So what if I just snuck (is that a word?) out there tomorrow night, stuck 12 eggs under her, and tiptoed out of the coop? Ya think she'd notice?
Anyone have any thoughts, tips or suggestions?

My reasons for doing this, if anyone is interested, are:
1. I have soooo many babies right now in the brooder, that I have no more space for 12 more. I figured she could take care of them for me.

2. She really wants to be a mommy soon. This starvation gig is getting to her........

I'll be eagerly awaiting your responses......

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

i would put the eggs under her and let her hatch them

 

[perfectly_polish]

Or you can let them hatch in the 'bator and then put them under her when they are all done hatching, and take the 2 eggs she's sitting on and put them in the 'bator. The only reason I wouldn't move them when they are since far along is because she may not accept them, or the movement from being moved or from her could harm them. Good luck!

 

[PearlD]

Well, I'm afraid to take chicks to her, because I tried it the other day and she freaked out completely. I just held a day old chick beside her head and she bristled up and was about to strike at it with her beak.

I thought she might react indifferent with eggs.....since they would have to hatch under her, she would be forced to accept them, right?.....

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi Janet!
Has she hatched / raised poults before?
I would say it's probably safe to swap out the eggs, but what will you do with the 2 she's sitting on now?
Or are they the same age as the 12?

"...hatch under her, she would be forced to accept them, right?...."
You'd think so, but not necessarily. I've had 'idiot hens' (chickens, not turks) drag wet chicks out from under themselves and fling them out of the nest box or just peck them to death.

You just have to watch and see how she reacts when they start hatching.

Good luck!
Lisa

 

[chickensandmore]

I would replace the 2 that she has and add 4 others from the bator, that way she has 6 and if she has a problem you don't lose everything..JMHO
Don in Spiro

 

[PearlD]

This is her first time to be broody, and neither of the eggs under her are hers!!! I planned on taking the 2 and putting them in the bator or under my JG hen who has that 'glaze' in her eye.......

Yikes, your scaring me with the chick murder stories......I think I may be camping out in the coop Thursday night......

 

[perfectly_polish]

Quote:
I did that with my broody hen, she was still sitting on eggs, and when I brought chicks to her, she freaked out and started pecking them. So after reading I learned to do it at night and kind of just stick them under her, everything was fine the next morning. Maybe you could try that. Good luck!

 

[PearlD]

Thanks for everyones input! I think I'll wait until nighttime, then put the eggs under her and sneak out the other 2. I'll have to remind myself to take a pencil to mark the 2 I'm taking out!! I'll keep you posted..........

 

[EweSheep]

I have done that before a few times, snuck pipped eggs under the broody hen with a flashlight at NIGHT! and the next morning, she was so proud of her accomplishments of incubating her eggs.

I even snuck 4 Welsummer roos under my broody Amercuana Bantam hen and she took them all in after 38 days setting on fake eggs.

I think every hen is different....my Silkie hen despised all my Orp chicks I got and threated to kill them. And I took all the chicks away from her and brood them under the lights.