Broody Hen...some questions

[momoftwinsinwi]

If I let her sit on them and hatch, I have to move them afterwards right? I can't leave the chicks in with the other hens and one roo...??? just curious...and if I decide that I don't want chicks, and I pull the eggs after she's been on them for 3-4 days, are they ok to eat or should I throw them out?

thanks my friends!!

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

It depends - sometimes a mama hen will do a great job defending her brood from the others - but sometimes not. The only way to be sure is to try it out. To be on the safe side, though, you could isolate her.

As long as the eggs haven't been contaminated by bacteria they are still SAFE to eat - after all, there's balut! but I'm not sure I'd want to. There's usually some significant veining at the least by 4 days.

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

thanks so much for the reply!!! I'm gonna let her go with it and see what happens....the other hens have been laying elsewhere so we'll see...I'll keep you updated

thanks again!

 

[debilorrah]

After they hatch, you need to keep an eye out. There are several success stories of chicks being just fine with the flock and others where one of the hens goes crazy. It is not usually the roo - he sees them as potential mates!!!

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

I would let her try it. Keep a close watch and have a back up plan on case you need to separate momma and chicks from the rest of the flock.

 

[elmo]

If you don't isolate the broody while she's sitting, other hens may scare her off her nest resulting in the eggs getting chilled, or other hens may add their eggs to the nest, in which case all of the eggs wouldn't hatch at roughly the same time.

If you don't isolate the hen, at least number the eggs she's setting lightly with a pencil so if more are added, you'll know which ones to remove.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Just mark the eggs and if other hens get in and lay in the same nest, pick those out and leave the marked ones in the nest. I've had broodys that didn't mind me feeling under them and another that pecked me if I got too close. I wore lether gloves to protect my hands. Remember to keep track of the day you let her set.

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

thanks so much everyone, I love this website for just this instance....I have a question, and I get the best answers....she can keep any and all eggs she has under her, I'm getting enough for sure to feed everyone

if it works, it works...if not, I'm not up or down...just the same, I have an incubator and I don't necessarily want more chickens, but there is plenty of room so if it works ....it works and would be kinda cool...if not, no worse for the wear...you know?

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
Only trouble with leaving any and all eggs under her is that if they keep booting her off the nest to lay their eggs in there, she'll eventually have too many to set and possibly some that started growing will die if she can't cover them all. Be sure to mark all the ones that she started with originally so you know. Any others that are still growing when she sees her hatch as "finished" will die when she gets off to raise her young.

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

I'm still getting 6 eggs a day from 7 hens which I have been, they started a new "nest" on the floor and the other 3 eggs I get out of another next box, so I don't believe she is getting out of that nest box long enough for any other hen to get in there to lay, there are 3 nest boxes, she's in one, they are laying in another, the middle one seems to be the "poop" nest and they started another on the floor of the coop, so I don't believe again, that there are any other hens getting in the box she is in...not by the number I'm getting daily anyway....

thanks everyone!!! really appreciate all the info!! have a great sunday afternoon!