can I slide "about to hatch" eggs under my broody hen?

[skypatrol]

Hello All; Back here and reading at my favorite forum. (yay!) So in the on-going saga....our first hen, the Florida, Ferrell, game-hen mix, who seems to be a very strong potential as a good mommy, has just sat for 24 days on 8 eggs which did not hatch. Our little rooster just didn't do the trick I guess. So now that we have dispatched the eggs (which were all yoke, I checked) she still wants to sit. I do still want some more hens and chicks would be great so.... question; Might I procure some fertilized eggs which area a week or even days from hatching and slide those under her? I am certain she would be more than overjoyed to see eggs under her again, and then she would probably be a fabulous mommy and protect the chicks from the other hens, etc,etc. SIDE-NOTE; correct, I could have known sooner that the eggs were duds by candling - acknowledged.

 

[Lollipop]

Chances are good that your ferel hen will set long enough to hatch another clutch of FRESH eggs, but if you can find suitable "about to hatch" eggs, go for it. Those little ferel hens from Key West are descedants of Spanish games and most will set for 2-3 months on an empty nest with no problem. If that`s not the kind of hen we`re talking about, your chances are still good........Pop

 

[Rozzie]

Just remember that hens that are on eggs often lose weight. This is usually not visible to us, though you can tell when you handle them. They can -- and sometimes do -- sit on eggs until they are too weak / thin to recover.

Edited for stupid error. I "do" know how to spell properly.