Broody Hen on Eggs HELP!

[LizCar]

Hi, I am new to this whole hatching eggs thing so please don't judge me lol. I have some Seramas who I love dearly and started laying since the weather warmed up. One hen laid all through the winter even though we had no lights on and the temps were very low. Once the nights got warmer I decided to let her lay a clutch and see if she would go broody. She laid 8 eggs. Two of my other hens also laid but just sporadically so one egg each from the two hens around the same time the other finished her clutch and they didn't continue to lay. I didn't want to just "waste" them so I put them under the other hen with a clutch of 8 who did end up going broody. But one egg is 4 days behind her clutch. The other is 6 days behind. So...here is my problem and obviously one I made for myself which I see now, but I just was thinking at the time, I didn't want the eggs to just be breakfast. ALL 10 eggs are alive and growing. The original 8 are on about day 12 or 13 and doing great. The two younger ones were also obviously fertile and doing well. Since she has been sitting, I have been reading and reading and learning lots of things, one being that they quit turning them a few days before hatching etc which I didn't know, which makes a problem for my later eggs. I guess I need input, what can I do with these later eggs when it comes time for the original 8 to hatch? At this point they are a life to me and I would feel awful just throwing them out since one is about 9 days in and the other 5. Thanks ahead of time for any input.

 

[austinbndr28]

Hi, I am new to this whole hatching eggs thing so please don't judge me lol. I have some Seramas who I love dearly and started laying since the weather warmed up. One hen laid all through the winter even though we had no lights on and the temps were very low. Once the nights got warmer I decided to let her lay a clutch and see if she would go broody. She laid 8 eggs. Two of my other hens also laid but just sporadically so one egg each from the two hens around the same time the other finished her clutch and they didn't continue to lay. I didn't want to just "waste" them so I put them under the other hen with a clutch of 8 who did end up going broody. But one egg is 4 days behind her clutch. The other is 6 days behind. So...here is my problem and obviously one I made for myself which I see now, but I just was thinking at the time, I didn't want the eggs to just be breakfast. ALL 10 eggs are alive and growing. The original 8 are on about day 12 or 13 and doing great. The two younger ones were also obviously fertile and doing well. Since she has been sitting, I have been reading and reading and learning lots of things, one being that they quit turning them a few days before hatching etc which I didn't know, which makes a problem for my later eggs. I guess I need input, what can I do with these later eggs when it comes time for the original 8 to hatch? At this point they are a life to me and I would feel awful just throwing them out since one is about 9 days in and the other 5. Thanks ahead of time for any input.

If you have an incubator just stick the 2 of them in there on day 18 for the first 8.

 

[LizCar]

I don't have an incubator but I did think about that, but what do I do since those two eggs are also off by about 4 days from each other?

 

[Odelia]

Do you have an incubator you could put the eggs in? Otherwise I only see two options. You could take the chicks from the mom as they hatch encouraging her to not abandon her eggs. As you have almost a week you need her to stay on the eggs she isn't likely to accept the older chicks later on so you will need to plan on raising them yourself. This does also put a lot more stress on your momma hen. She is now expected to go not 3 weeks with almost no food or water but 4 weeks. Is it worth it to you stressing this bird that much? Otherwise you need to accept that the other eggs are not going to make it. Most birds will only sit an extra day or two once their chicks start hatching. They can't sit any longer because they need to leave the nest to care for the chicks that did hatch. Good luck!

 

[LizCar]

What kind of conditions does an egg need the last few days before hatching in an incubator? I do have another hen with a clutch of 6, I am hoping she goes broody. Would it work to put the other two eggs under her if she does and pull them out when they are ready to hatch? Will she stay on her clutch if she hears them peep before I can pull them out and if I do pull them out, just to hatch, how would the incubator need to be set or can I just put them under a brooder to hatch or? Thanks everyone.