broody bantie hens

[beckgirl46]

My two banty hens have been hiding eggs and I just found them outside. For the last 4 o4 5 days BOTH hens are sitting constantly on a pile of about 15 eggs. Can I replace those eggs with fertile eggs? I HAVE NO ROOSTER.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes you can. Make sure you mark them so you know which are the fertile eggs in case another hen lays in the nest with them. I'll include a link that may help you wth the incubation.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

Many people successfully do it, but I don't like to have two hens broody sharing a nest or even being close to each other. Not that bad things happen each and every time, but sometimes one hen will kill the chicks that hatch under the other or sometimes the two hens will fight over the eggs or chicks and the eggs or chicks get damaged.

Editted to add:

Welcome to the forum!

Glad you are here!

 

[beckgirl46]

Thanks so much for the link and your advice. If they're sitting anyway, might as well try fertile eggs. I think you're right and I should separate them. Thing is, they're outside the coop by one of my planters and under the plastic sled I use to bring in my wood in the winter. Sounds like I should move them inside separately and see if they continue to be broody.

 

[Oven Ready]

Yes, move them in, split them up, give them real eggs, sit back and relax.

If you do move them in, they shouldn't get off the eggs for long just for food, drink and poop BUT they don't have brilliant memories (or they do but they are long term not short) so there's a good chance they'll go back to where the old nest was and sit there even though there's nothing there.
As they only need off the eggs for food,drink & poop you'd be best to leave them confined to the coop until hatching.

I was joking about the relax bit, what I meant was, start counting down the days, wondering if everything is going OK, wondering if you're ready for chicks, checking that they're still sitting, checking that they're eating, checking that they're drinking, counting down the days (twice), making sure you got chick crumbs or whatever you're going to feed them - the list is endless but it's all worth it to see a dozen or so little fuzzballs peeping out from behind their mum, then you can stop worrying about the eggs.....
....and start worrying about the fuzzballs !!!

 

[beckgirl46]

This forum in wonderful. Thanks for all the help. I just love having my chickens around. Even if they don't lay eggs. But, I can sell some eggs to friends and could use the money. Hoping I get some fertile eggs soon. It would be so much fun and some work for me to do as I'm retired and by myself.

 

[chick4chicks]

and

. You are gonna love having chicks. I just had 2 broody banty hens hatch out 18 chicks between them, they share real nice and they all look so cute wandering around. They both went broody at the same time.