Broody hen: when to give her eggs.

[awalters0815]

If I have a broody hen, but it takes me a few days to get some hatching eggs, can I put them under her? WIll she sit on them for the entire 21 days even if she was already broody? thanks

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Give her a couple of nest eggs (fake eggs) for a couple of days until you collect as many as you want her to hatch. Store at room temp turning a couple times a day. Make just she is truly broody before giving her the real eggs. She will stay broody for more than 21 days if truly broody.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Totally agree. This site gives you some information on how to store the eggs for incubation.

Texas A&M Incubation site
http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/b6092.pdf

Sounds like you are not real familiar with broodies. This link might answer some of your questions whether you decide to isolate her or not. People successfully do it both ways.

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

Good luck and welcome to the adventure.

 

[awalters0815]

thanks. I don't have a rooster but I am looking into getting a variety of hen that will go broody such as a buff orp or a game hen. So I will be relying on e-bay etc for eggs. thanks for the info.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
You might want to post that you are looking for hatching eggs in your locality on BYC (under the auctions there is a place in the forum for that)....shipping of eggs decreases the hatchablity...the post office is very hard on eggs in transit....finding them local and picking them up will give better yeilds, thereby costing less per chick.

 

[awalters0815]

Quote:
You might want to post that you are looking for hatching eggs in your locality on BYC (under the auctions there is a place in the forum for that)....shipping of eggs decreases the hatchablity...the post office is very hard on eggs in transit....finding them local and picking them up will give better yeilds, thereby costing less per chick.

thanks for the tip. I'll do that.