Belgium d'Uccle breeding

[BillM2]

We have a roo and hen Belgium d'Uccles who are about ten months old. How will I know that my hen is ready to lay fertile eggs and when does this typically happen. It's early March and the weather in upstate NY is beginning to warm up. What should I be looking for? She now lays a few eggs per week and she's in her own partition area away from the standard sized hens with the roo in our coop.

Thanks!

 

[Folly's place]

She will need time to lay larger eggs, rather than those early 'pullet eggs'. Then you can crack a few to see if they were fertilized, and then you're good to go! Mine are often good broodies, and raise there own babies. Love them! Mary

 

[BillM2]

So, she'll lay but not sit on the fertile eggs? Will I definitely know after cracking I've got a fertile egg?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

She might sit on them, might not. Not all hens go broody. You could do a forum search to help you get an idea of what a fertile egg looks like. Try searching "fertile egg pictures"

 

[Folly's place]

There's no reason to incubate sterile eggs, so checking a couple of them to make sure your cockrel is breeding and fertile makes sense. Then either wait for a hen to go broody, which may happen, or not, or incubate eggs in an incubator. Mary

 

[BillM2]

Thanks, I found a nice thread with pictures. I'll check her eggs and see.

If she doesn't lay on them, how long do I have from once she's laid them to get into an incubator?