Hello! I have 5 eggs in my incubator that about 14 days in. I had my BEST broody mama go broody on a handful of eggs (not sure if they are fertilized or not, due to a recent rooster injury). My question is, when should I move the eggs from the incubator to my broody hen?
My hen is the best broody hen I have ever heard of! She has successful hatches every Spring. Last year, she disappeared for a few weeks and came back with 16 chicks in tow!! I have no idea how she did hat, but I'm telling you she is very skilled! For this reason, I think she will adopt the 5 eggs and continue to sit on the others the extra weeks until they hatch. So my question is wrestling whether to move them out to her day 18 and day 1 out of their hatch? Any experience with this? TYIA
You've gotten some good input from others, but I'd thought I'd still chime in since you specifically asked me.
It is always risky to move precious eggs from an incubator to a brooding hen no matter how faithful the hen. If those eggs are irreplaceable, and you have good incubator skills, then hatch them in the incubator.
A hen generally needs a week to really settle into a good brood. I have pushed a very faithful Silkie into accepting mostly developed eggs and hatching within the first week of her brood. She stayed to the task, but she did fledge those chicks the earliest she ever fledged any chicks. Her hormone levels simply weren't as high as they normally would be.
It does take time for the hormones to build in the hen, which are increased by a pressure point in the breast bone. The hen also bonds with the chicks as she hears them move in the eggs. So forcing a newly brooding hen into early motherhood does have its risks.
Some hens are so nearly broody any given moment that they'll take anyone at any time. They are truly super broodies and deserve a star in the broody hall of fame.
I hear you are especially anticipating this batch of chicks, so with that in mind, as much as I prefer to brood with hens, I think you may be happiest to let them hatch in the incubator.
At that point, you can decide if you want to replace the developing eggs now under the hen with the freshly hatched chicks. Most likely she will accept them, but you can intervene if she does not turn to mothering immediately.
I would not attempt to let the hen sit on the current eggs with integration of the incubator chicks. You have too much age difference (what 2 weeks or so?). You will very likely end with a stressed hen who is confused as to whether she should sit or mother chicks. That ends in either abandoned eggs or neglected, or worse hazed, chicks.
Very, very few broodies can accomplish a split hatch with ease. For those, I think they have foot prints on a walk somewhere in Hollywood?
My thoughts. Good luck with your hatches
LofMc
