Can I Put these eggs under my broody? Please help! Not much time!

[Zaxby's2]

Ok, so I just had a hen go broody, but the rest of the hens stopped laying because of her, so after waiting a few days to see if they'd start again, we decided to put some eggs we had already saved for her under her. Well today when I went outside and checked the nests we got one egg.

I put it under the broody, and now I'm wondering if I can put tomorrow's eggs under her. Can I? Will they hatch close enough together? Thanks for any info.

 

[kano]

The idea is to put ALL the eggs under her at the same time...you should wait to have a few. (6 or more) and then put them under her.(Why do the rest stop laying?)

 

[Zaxby's2]

Yeah.... We had already put eggs under her, but then our hens came along and laid an unexpected egg. We had really wanted to hatch out some of our Rhode Island red eggs, but they had stopped laying, so we put other eggs under her. So now everyones laying again and I want to put RIR eggs under her. I'm going to do it if they lay an egg tomorrow, but I just want to know if they will hatch close enough, considering they will be a day or two apart. Thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

No, they won't hatch close enough, and she will leave the later hatching ones to take care of the live chicks. At best I think that all the eggs need to hatch within 12-24 hours.

MrsK

 

[NYREDS]

If you plan on the hen raising the chicks it's too late to put more eggs under her.
If you plan to remove & brood the chicks go ahead. I have a pen with two very nice, very old, Old English Game hens. I get an egg every 2-3 days from them. I also have a Malay hen setting. When I get an Old English egg it goes under the Malay hen. As each chick hatches [ever the optomist] I'll remove it & put it in a brooder. These Malay hens will set & set. I had one hatch 3 successive clutches last year.

 

[Zaxby's2]

Thanks! I'll probably do what you guys suggested.