Can you incubate eggs halfway through?

[Holistic Sunshine Life]

This is my first time with broody hens. I have two hens setting on their eggs. I believe it is around 14 days. I am afraid to let them hatch as I have no way to separate the rooster in the coop right now. Will the rooster hurt baby chicks? I have an incubator and I was hoping I could candle the eggs and finish the 21 days in there. Any reason that wouldn't work?

 

[BlackHackle]

It should be okay to let the hen hatch them. I have never had a rooster attack chicks. You can also put them in the incubator, I did that with chicken eggs and duck eggs and it worked

 

[Rose Quartz]

This is my first time with broody hens. I have two hens setting on their eggs. I believe it is around 14 days. I am afraid to let them hatch as I have no way to separate the rooster in the coop right now. Will the rooster hurt baby chicks? I have an incubator and I was hoping I could candle the eggs and finish the 21 days in there. Any reason that wouldn't work?

just if you are moving them to the incubator, get the incu. running a while before hand, and if it's before day 18 they'll need to be turned at least 3x a day day 18 on stop turning and up the humidity between 65% - 75%

 

[Holistic Sunshine Life]

It should be okay to let the hen hatch them. I have never had a rooster attack chicks. You can also put them in the incubator, I did that with chicken eggs and duck eggs and it worked

Thank you. I wasn't sure how the rooster would react to the babies. The kids would like to see them hatch so I may still try to incubate a few.

 

[Holistic Sunshine Life]

Will I still need to clean the eggs prior to placing them if they are clean?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If the rooster in question is the chicks daddy or not, your baby chicks are safer in the company of a rooster than they are while in the company of their own mothers.

 

[BlackHackle]

Will I still need to clean the eggs prior to placing them if they are clean?

Don't clean eggs with water if you are hatching them. They loose their protective coat

 

[Holistic Sunshine Life]

Don't clean eggs with water if you are hatching them. They loose their protective coat

Yes, there is so much controversy over whether to clean them with an egg solution or not at all. I would rather just put the cleanest ones in the incubator and not risk using a solution but just a cloth.