I really have no preference either way - breaking her, or encouraging the broodiness...I just need advice on both. I've been doing some reading on here, but some of my questions are still unanswered.
My first thought was to buy her some fertilized eggs to sit on and hatch - that would be fun!. I've even found some local people willing to sell me some of their fertilized eggs (thanks to BYC!!) but I'm curious if her "broodiness" has a time limit. For example, she's been on her box for about 4 days now. If I get her eggs next week, she'll be sitting for about 10 days before I even put eggs under her. Will she notice the eggs are new and sit on them the entire time they'll need to hatch, or will she give up 10 days early because I put them under her late?
She's currently sitting on a fake egg (as I've taken her 1 real egg) away. Will she eventually give up on being broody...or will it take the full 3 weeks (is that the correct amount of time?) to try to hatch that fake egg? If she stops being broody and I bring home eggs, will she instinctively start up again and try to hatch them? I want to make sure that if I get her eggs to sit on, that she will hatch them. Are there intervals where she is broody, stops, and then starts again? Or does she just stay broody until the eggs she's on hatch?
I've also read about people trying to break a broody hen, and that putting chicks under her will help. I currently have 2 BR chicks (from the local feed store) in the workshop, but they're over a week old. Is that too old to put under her? I should be getting another 3 buff orpington chicks as well (I was hoping to have them by now, but oh well). Should I wait and put brand new chicks under her instead?
Also, will I be able to mix my feed store chicks with any chicks she hatches? They would be varying ages, but would she take care of them...or would I want to take her chicks away from her after a couple days (like when I get my day-old feed chicks) and keep all the chicks seperate? [I've always had chicks of the same age and kept them seperate from my flock until they're a few months old...but I've never had chicks of varying ages, so that part is new to me.]
My first thought was to buy her some fertilized eggs to sit on and hatch - that would be fun!. I've even found some local people willing to sell me some of their fertilized eggs (thanks to BYC!!) but I'm curious if her "broodiness" has a time limit. For example, she's been on her box for about 4 days now. If I get her eggs next week, she'll be sitting for about 10 days before I even put eggs under her. Will she notice the eggs are new and sit on them the entire time they'll need to hatch, or will she give up 10 days early because I put them under her late?
She's currently sitting on a fake egg (as I've taken her 1 real egg) away. Will she eventually give up on being broody...or will it take the full 3 weeks (is that the correct amount of time?) to try to hatch that fake egg? If she stops being broody and I bring home eggs, will she instinctively start up again and try to hatch them? I want to make sure that if I get her eggs to sit on, that she will hatch them. Are there intervals where she is broody, stops, and then starts again? Or does she just stay broody until the eggs she's on hatch?
I've also read about people trying to break a broody hen, and that putting chicks under her will help. I currently have 2 BR chicks (from the local feed store) in the workshop, but they're over a week old. Is that too old to put under her? I should be getting another 3 buff orpington chicks as well (I was hoping to have them by now, but oh well). Should I wait and put brand new chicks under her instead?
Also, will I be able to mix my feed store chicks with any chicks she hatches? They would be varying ages, but would she take care of them...or would I want to take her chicks away from her after a couple days (like when I get my day-old feed chicks) and keep all the chicks seperate? [I've always had chicks of the same age and kept them seperate from my flock until they're a few months old...but I've never had chicks of varying ages, so that part is new to me.]