Broody to Bator and Back Again?

estamets

Songster
6 Years
May 3, 2014
754
63
166
Ramona, CA
I had a broody hen in the coop who just hatched her chicks.

There were 3 "extra" eggs developing under her that another girl snuck in there (candled, healthy, developing well).

I added those to my incubator, which has a clutch started +/- 1-2 days of those eggs.

NOW I have another hen going broody.

Can I / should I give those three eggs to the new broody to finish off? They're about 7-9 days in.
 
I had a broody hen in the coop who just hatched her chicks.

There were 3 "extra" eggs developing under her that another girl snuck in there (candled, healthy, developing well).

I added those to my incubator, which has a clutch started +/- 1-2 days of those eggs.

NOW I have another hen going broody.

Can I / should I give those three eggs to the new broody to finish off? They're about 7-9 days in.
I'd say go for it. Only a week in, she'll probably accept them. Just monitor her for a day or two to make sure SHE's not a quitter.
 
I'd say go for it. Only a week in, she'll probably accept them. Just monitor her for a day or two to make sure SHE's not a quitter.
Great advice. She's quit on me before, but I think that was because I moved her to a place where she was still In view of the coop, and she freaked out trying to get back home.

Thanks!
 
If the hen doesn't reject the eggs, go for it. Best time to shuffle them under her is at night. By morning, she'll likely think they were supposed to be there.
We had a single hen that we shuffled some two dozen eggs under over a several week period about three years back. She gladly took all of them, but instead of three (3) weeks "on the eggs" it was more like five (5) weeks! She was a trooper for sure!
 

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