From Incubator to Nest

[TommyVT05]

Hello Everyone,

Just curious...both of my hens went broody today and if they can stay on their nests until dusk today, is it ok for me to bring back out some of the eggs I have just recently put in my incubator for them to sit on?

By calculation, these eggs are only about 15 hours into the incubation process so if things work out, the eggs should all hatch on the same day anyhow if I put them under the hens today.

I would actually prefer to do that because I am a newbie @ incubation and I wouldn't want to end up losing good eggs. I only decided to incubate the eggs because I was so iffy on when the hens will go broody : (

I have 22 eggs in the incubator right now, planning to take out 10 to add for the two hens and only leave about 12 for me to incubate.

OR! I was thinking about waiting until day 4 to candle so I can put in eggs are are for sure fertile, but by then, I think the hen will know whats hers and won't sit on the introduced eggs : (

Please help

Thanks!

- Tommy

 

[banter]

That's a question I have too. My hens are only 9 months old. Will they be good mothers?
The barn is going to be cold for a while-we still have 2ft of snow on the ground. Also, their nest
boxes are 3ft off the ground. How will the chicks get down? Parachute? lol!

 

[airmom1c05]

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

This will tell you both all you need to know about letting "Mama" do the work vs. the incubator. Best wishes to you both.

 

[banter]

Thanks airmom! What a wealth of info!

 

[airmom1c05]

You're welcome. I don't have an incubator, but as of last night I have a broody hen in a pen setting her own eggs!

I am excited beyond description! I hope all five of her eggs are fertile, but it will be somewhere between the 6th and 10th day before candling will tell. At 8PM tonight we will be at the 24 hour mark! I will probably lose weight with each passing day of suspense.

 

[TommyVT05]

Wow!

Congrats and thanks on the link. Just finished reading. There is SOOO much to know! Haha

Talking about suspense, we are on the same BOAT! Hehe. I will have 34 eggs being set by hens, 12 by me, and 20+ by a classroom : )

Thats a whole lot isn't it?

- Tommy

 

[airmom1c05]

THIRTY-FOUR! I only have a flock of 6 with a couple of Welsummers expected in about 4 weeks (about the time these eggs should hatch!). My DH will only allow us to keep 8.

I think I may be able to persuade him to let us keep a couple of the baby chicks, though.

I can't imagine what I would do with THIRTY-FOUR!

 

[TommyVT05]

Haha. I know, its a lot but they will all be needed. In order to run a breeding program, the more the better.

More to select from. I will only keep about 6 out of the 34...the rest, I am giving them to my friends or sell them once they are old enough for me to select out the qualities that I want : )

- Tommy