Can I put Broody hen's who is not broody anymores eggs in incubator?

[jlgoinggreen]

We had a hen who went broody on us. She sat on those eggs for about a week and a half to two weeks, then all of a sudden decided she did not want to sit on them anymore. I know I should have brought them in right away, but did not have a free incubator until now and I was honestly hoping she would decide to get back on them. I just candled them and 13 out of the 24 seem to be developing fine. Of course she has been off of them for about two days now. So far they don't stink.

Should I leave them in an incubator or just throw them all out?

Also, I'm not sure how old they really are. I don't know when I should do the "lockdown", bring the humidity up, and so on..... Should I take a chance and put them in a turner? What happens if they start hatching in a turner?

 

[Lobzi]

Sorry I dont have an answer to your question but I wanted to tell you I feel your pain. I had similar happen to one of my hen. About two weeks into sitting she got sick and just did not want to sit on the nest. Id put her back and she'd just get off. Finally I blocked her in for 24 hours and then she went broody again; this was after a day of on and off the nest. I was expecting her to hatch today but nothing yet. Im afraid that one day of unstable temps might have done her eggs in. Im just sick for her and her peeps not-to-be.
If I were you Id rescue those eggs. Good luck and let us all know how it turns out.

 

[clarkestep]

I think I would try, too, to save them. The worst thing that could happen (besides exploding and stinking) is that they not hatch. You haven't lost anything.

 

[suzettex5]

I would give it a try with the ones you saw development in. You should be able to see movement by now to prove some viability. I took eggs out from under my broody just so the kids could see them hatch. They were on day 16 or 17. I just kept the temp 99.5 to 100.5 and kept humidity around 58 to 62. I had 4 hatch that way, and this was just this week. I dont know about turning, but I didnt turn mine at all, except when it was accidental from us candling.

Go for it, and let us know how things turn out!

Good luck!!

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Thanks. I wish I had more experience with this, but I guess there will always be a learning curve on everything. lol

I'm not sure what day they are on as I didn't really pay attention when my hen first went broody. When I realized it, I honestly thought it would be cool to walk into the coop one day and be surprised to find baby chicks. I am guessing they are about two weeks, but that is a BIG guess. This will teach me to pay more attention to what's going on in my coop.

Anyway, I've already put them in my LG and am now trying to bring the temp and humidity up to where they need to be. I'm not going to put them in the turner, but am debating if I should put them in egg cartons and maybe alternate a book or something under each side as makeshift turner. I will be candling them again tomorrow night to see if I see any movement or changes in the eggs.