Can I remove a single egg from a broody hen that I plan on hatching eggs from?

[Tazman99]

So I have a hen that has laid three eggs, I want to hatch these three eggs under her but she has laid a fourth egg, can I remove this egg? Or will that send her into a berserk mode and lose the other eggs?

Also, what do I need to know and do for when the eggs hatch? Will they eat Layer food, or do they need oatmeal and honey or something? Do they need a heat lamp? Do I need to keep them fro the other more aggressive chickens and can I Let them outside? And one last question, how long into they can tolerate the montana cold that is coming soon?

 

[thechooks22]

You dont need a heat lamp if she is mothering them ...they will huddle under her to keep warm. They should be fed chick starter but you can feed them layer food if it is very fine .yes you can remove the egg ...she wont even notice. Probably a good idea to keep them away from the others as they can kill them ...but if the mum is raising them she willl attack anything that gets too close to her chicks
Hope this helps
Goodluck!

 

[donrae]

First off, if your hen is still laying eggs, she isn't broody and won't hatch chicks. My criteria for declaring a hen broody is if she spends two nights in a row on the nest. This is accompanied by fluffing out when approached, growling and pecking, leaving the nest only to eat/drink/poop/dust bathe/terrorize the other hens. Once a hen goes broody, she also quits laying eggs.

 

[Tazman99]

She has spent three weeks on this single nest, I took her eggs from her the first two weeks and on the third week I had been gone for most of the week, my brother and grandmother though something was wrong with her because she wouldn't move, so they didn't take her eggs that week. I decided that the eggs were not edible and decided to try and hatch them.

The other two non-hatch eggs were removed this morning, I tried to candle the three eggs that I want to hatch and they were kind of dark, with a kind of mass, bout the size of two quarters on the biggest one. And the new eggs I candled were perfectly clear.

 

[donrae]

So I have a hen that has laid three eggs, I want to hatch these three eggs under her but she has laid a fourth egg, can I remove this egg? Or will that send her into a berserk mode and lose the other eggs? No, she can't count, so you can take additional eggs.

Also, what do I need to know and do for when the eggs hatch? Will they eat Layer food, or do they need oatmeal and honey or something? Chicks should have chick starter or something similar. Put your whole flock on it until the chicks are old enough to lay.

Do I need to keep them fro the other more aggressive chickens and can I Let them outside? I keep my broody and chicks with the flock whenever possible. It's the natural way for birds to grow up. Momma will butt-kick anyone who messes with her babies. My roosters have always backed momma up, they're also protective of the chicks.

And one last question, how long into they can tolerate the montana cold that is coming soon? These will be the hardiest chicks you've ever had. They'll feather out faster and be very thrifty birds, I'm guessing.

So if she's that broody, another hen is adding eggs to the nest. I always mark the eggs I intend to hatch so I can remove any additional deposits by the other hens.

 

[Jenny77]

I have two broody silkies and they will steal another hen's egg is she lays it close enough and leaves. They nest on the floor of their coop (silkie shack). They are horrible protective and will rarely leave the nest. I've watched one hen get up to go eat and another will replace her on the nest till she gets back. I haven't done anything special with the chicks they've hatched. The eat regular crumbles and go forage with the other silkies in their fenced area. My roo even looks after them when they're out and about. Good luck with your hopefully soon to be new arrivals

 

[Tazman99]

Oh yeah, my broody hen left the nest once to eat and the Buff orpington tried to take over the nest. She was smart enough to back off when momma came over.