Breeding Multiple Hens

[MisterT]

Hi folks, I have two easter egger hens, two orpington hens, and an orpington rooster. I'd like to let the hens brood up a batch of chicks, I'm just wondering the logistics of how to go about this.

1. As a beginner, should I just let all the hens lay a couple eggs, and separate one of the broody hens in its own enclosure with the eggs? I've read one hen can handle 8-10 eggs, does that sound right?

2. If I keep them all together, how many eggs do you think there will be before they go broody and stop laying all together? Will they all act as mothers to the chicks if they are not separated?

Any ideas on what you think would be most successful I'd appreciate.

Thanks!

 

[sumi]

If you have a broody hen you can separate her or let her sit where she is, whichever is the most feasible, and give her a few eggs to hatch. Select clean, even shaped, undamaged eggs and don't wash them as this will remove the protective barrier, or bloom, that helps keep bacteria out. The most eggs I've let a broody hatch to date was 13, so you can give her any amount, so long as she can cover them comfortably.

It's impossible to tell, really. I've had hens go broody on 3 eggs and I've had hens go broody on 12. Some hens would just keep piling eggs in the nest and not go broody and you will end up wasting a whole lot of perfectly good eggs. Keep collecting the eggs until you have a broody and then give her some. What you can do to encourage them is to leave some fake eggs in the box and see if they get the hint, but it's not guaranteed to work. It really depends on how prone to broodiness your hens are. Once the chicks have hatched the hen that hatched them will mother them and take care of them. The rest of the flock may be indifferent, curious or even mildly aggressive towards the chicks. Again, it's impossible to tell how they will react.