Broody Hen Questions

[eaweathers]

I have an Ameracauna hen that has just gone broody about two days ago. I plan on moving her tonight into a brood pen by herself, but my question is concerning the fact that she has moved on her eggs. She sat on about 4 eggs for a day or so and then this morning she was sitting in a new nest of freshly laid eggs. I left all the eggs in place in case she moves back to her original ones. Are the eggs going to be ok if she goes a day off of them until I move her to a single brood pen? I am new to the hatching of eggs and broody hen so I am trying to get as much information as possible to make sure I do it right.

 

[Judy]

Probably. But I'd pick her up and put her on the right nest for now, or else exchange the eggs by reaching under her.

I've had the best luck doing this when I picked up broody, eggs and nesting material all at once, maybe carrying them in a cardboard box or something. Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Those eggs are pretty tough the first few days of incubation. They can take a fair amount of abuse. But the embryo is alive in there and can be killed. It’s one of those things there is no clear answer on. The eggs may be fine but then they may not. That’s why Judy said probably.

I know that eggs suddenly become really precious as soon as a broody starts to sit on them, but it sounds like you are getting several eggs a day. You can try to put her back on the original four or toss those and let her start on her new batch. But what I’d do is use one of those sets to help move her, she needs to have some eggs when you move her but consider those eggs expendable. Save all the eggs you want her to hatch starting fresh and after she has accepted her new nest and you have enough eggs, start those new eggs that you have full confidence in. Those eggs will become precious too and you will know you have done the best you can. That way you don’t have any reason to second-guess yourself no matter how it turns out.

One quick story. I had a hen that had been setting on eggs for about two weeks go back to the wrong nest. I think another hen was laying n egg in her regular nest when she returned from her daily constitutional and confused her. When I found her, those eggs were really cold to the touch, she’d probably been off them for most of the day. I put her back on the right eggs. She hatched 11 out of 11 and they were a full day early.

 

[eaweathers]

If she sat on the eggs for a day or two and then moved off of them, would they be safe to eat? or should I just throw them out?... I really dont like being wasteful. I dont usually refrigerate my eggs, but if I need to refrigerate those since they have been sat on I can.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They will be "safe" to eat, but when you crack them you will probably see something you don't want to see. Whether or not you want to eat them depends on your "YUK! factor. You can always crack them in a separate bowl and see what they look like. They may be OK.

A delicacy in some cultures are eggs that have been incubated practically up to hatch, then cooked and eaten. Look up Balut. So they are "safe" to eat, but I wouldn't.