Can't get hens to sit

[CHKNFMR]

I have 2 red hens and a red roo in the pen together. The 3 have been together since I got them. I have a large speaker box, with two large openings for them to roost in. It's raised high enough I don't think they would feel vulnerable in them. Both sides have fresh laying material in them. Both hens will lay in the same side but keep their eggs separated on either end of the same box. Neither one will sit on the eggs. Each hen has 9 eggs on her side. (18 eggs in there) Now here's the questions... 1. How long before they begin to sit on them? 2. Do they wait to have a certain number of eggs to begin to sit on them? 3. How long should I wait before collecting them? I have an incubator but there are 33 quail eggs in there and I wouldn't want the little quail to hatch out and get caught up in the turning mechanism while its turning the chicken eggs. How long do I wait?????

 

[morelcabin]

If your hens are hybrid reds they will most likely never set. Most hybrids don't although I have heard of the odd one that has. Brahmas, Cochins, and Silkies are good setters.

 

[CHKNFMR]

this is a pic of them

 

[Dawn419]

As far as I know, if the hens aren't broody you really can't force them to be so.

Sorry this isn't much help!


Dawn

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Your birds look like Game type birds to me, I could be wrong. I had a hen that looks EXACTLY like the one in the pic and I was told it was a Game or Game cross. Those will go broody, mine did and she tried to set an ENTIRE dozen eggs. LOL. They were stacked two and three high in her hidden nest.

I would collect the eggs daily. Since you only have two hens, collect eggs daily and then store them in the house small side down in an egg carton. Store the eggs like this for 10 days, if she doesn't go broody put the eggs in water(4-6 inches of water) if the eggs float throw them out, if they stay below the water surface put them in the fridge for eating. I say do this because once one of the hens go broody she will stop laying, so it will be harder to collect enough eggs.

In the meantime, buy golfballs or fake/wooden eggs and place them in the nest. By putting fake eggs/golfballs in the nest you are not wasting any eggs and you know about when the eggs were laid. If one of the hens goes broody, she will sit on the golfballs/fake eggs. Let her sit them until you are sure she's broody(a day or two) and then put the eggs your stored most recently under her at night.

You cannot make her go broody, but I found having eggs in the nest helps coax them into setting. Just my experience. Hope it helps! Hope you get a broody soon! I've heard Games make great mommas!

-Kim