Chickens NOT sitting on eggs???

[ryan31394]

We got our first chickens about a month ago. 3 hens and a rooster. We'd been getting the eggs daily and we decided about two weeks ago that we allow them to fertilize and have some babies. Well, they've got 10 eggs in one nest box, and we check them a couple times a day, but the hens don't seem to ever be sitting on them. I think I've only seen one on them once or twice. The chickens are about 1 year to a year and a half old, so I don't think they're too young. Could it have anything to do with having so many eggs from different chickens in one nest box? I just read about the golf ball thing today so I'll definitely be trying that out to get them to use the other nest boxes. It's pretty warm here in Georgia, but I'm not sure how warm they need to be kept or how much the chickens need to sit on them to keep them viable. The eggs are somewhere around 12 days old, and I tried candling them, but I don't think my light was good enough. I'll have to build an actual candler.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[LarryPQ]

Um. No.

Only "Broody" chickens will sit on eggs to hatch them. If the hen is not broody, she will lay her egg and go about her business.

Most breeds of chickens have had the broodiness behavior bred out of them. Even then, the broodiest breeds may only go broody at certain times of the year.

What type of chickens do you have?

 

[Bravo]

Just because you leave eggs out doesn't guarantee your girls will go broody. Many breeds of chickens (the high-efficiency layers) have been intentionally bred to remove the need to brood. It really just depends on the chicken.

If you are really wanting to hatch chicks you should probably ask to borrow an incubator from a friend. That's a surefire way

Also, fresher eggs (under a week old) are best to set. As the eggs get older their fertility diminishes.

 

[ryan31394]

Well, I'm not completely sure of what breed they are. I've been looking through the breed index, and they look similar to the Barnevelder, but the only difference is that my hens are all completely black without the white marks and the rooster's tail feathers have more of a green hue. They lay brown/light brown eggs. I think they may be of a mixed breed, but I'm unsure. If them having brooding bred out of them is the case then I'll definitely be getting an incubator. What should I do with the eggs already laid? They've been there for 12 or so days so I know they aren't good to eat, but should I throw them out or leave them and just see what happens?

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
I'd cook the eggs and mix them into the birds feed. It is a great source of protein for them. Your girls may go broody eventually but that is all done at their pace. An incubator is a great investment.

If you post pics to the breed forum there are a lot of chicken experts that can help younout with the breed

Best of luck to you!