Can pullets raise chicks? /hatching under a pullet?

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Problem is there are others who want to lay in that same nest and when she gets off for quick poo/eat/drink some of them peck at her not letting her back in the nest till hours later. So I'd rather her be in a separate coop to brood in peace. I tried moving her again last night and this morning she was half off the eggs, I placed her back on and she stayed in that nest spot but a few hours later I checked and she was half off them again so I slipped the other eggs back under her. I guess I'll find out when I candle in 10 days if chicks are growing. Maybe she will be lucky to have 1 hatch for her first time brooding, hopefully.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Great news! She stayed in the new nest spot from this morning, I added an extra egg freshly laid egg from Chickaletta so now she's on 7.

 

[The Happster]

What days are the other eggs on?
Don't add eggs if it gets too far in of course.
Glad she's settled down.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

What days are the other eggs on?
Don't add eggs if it gets too far in of course.
Glad she's settled down.

I set the 6 eggs under her last night but she was half off them in the morning so I put her back on all of them and 3 hours later I added the freshly laid egg. I won't add anymore but I just thought since it was fresh it might have the best chance to hatch.

 

[The Happster]

I set the 6 eggs under her last night but she was half off them in the morning so I put her back on all of them and 3 hours later I added the freshly laid egg. I won't add anymore but I just thought since it was fresh it might have the best chance to hatch.

That's fine.
Just didn't want them to be like a week late.
Hope you get some hatchlings!

 

[momma chickie]

I had a 2 broody 8 mos pullets...both successfully hatched and raised their babies (surrogate because I have no rooster). Before I got fertile eggs I tried moving one, broke her brood...so now I leave them in the besting coop and after everyone hatches I move them to the nursery....I do keep a close eye on hatch day because my hens insist on sharing 1 nest box...so hatch day, I block her off from everyone...they usually won't get off the nest on hatch day anyway.

 

[momma chickie]

I set the 6 eggs under her last night but she was half off them in the morning so I put her back on all of them and 3 hours later I added the freshly laid egg. I won't add anymore but I just thought since it was fresh it might have the best chance to hatch.

The problem could be if any of the others hatch more then a couple of days earlier she will leave the nest with her babies. If this happens you may need to take the first babies into a brooder, when the hatch is complete, slip babies back under her when she is fast asleep at night. Be there before she gets up, I had my broody reject 2 of 3 chicks...she would have killed them had I not been out there.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

How many days/nights can a broody go without eating and drinking? Usually they get off once a day in my experience.
My broody, Nugget, wouldn't get off the eggs for 2 days so by the 3rd day (yesterday) I decided to take her off - and I could smell broody poo so knew I needed to clean it up. Lucky the poo was contained away from the eggs so easy clean and I put Nugget near food and water and she ate and drank then walked off to the outside run and had a forage in the grass BUT she didn't come back! AND she wasn't doing the cluck-cluck-cluck broody cluck sound! I was getting worried since it was only 17 degrees in the coop and her eggs might not survive so when it got to 35 minutes I picked her up and put her in the coop, but she didn't sit on the eggs so I picked her up and put her directly on top of the eggs and she sat! Thank goodness!!! ..She's still sitting and I think I'll just leave her there. She has her own food and water nearby. Maybe best not to intervene.. but I don't want her to starve to death!! .. nor do I want poopy eggs.

 

[MarkJr]

Keep your food and water well away from her. She will defecate on her way to eat and drink.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

The problem could be if any of the others hatch more then a couple of days earlier she will leave the nest with her babies. If this happens you may need to take the first babies into a brooder, when the hatch is complete, slip babies back under her when she is fast asleep at night. Be there before she gets up, I had my broody reject 2 of 3 chicks...she would have killed them had I not been out there.

I don't have a brooder or incubator but I do have emergency hand warmers and a box if needed although Chickaletta (my 5 yr old Silkie hen) usually goes broody every few eggs she lays so she isn't far from that now... I wonder if hens still go broody after they stop laying eggs when they are old? Humm...I wonder what age Silkie's stop laying?