Giving a broody fertile eggs

[Sooner Magnolia]

Yes. Once or twice a day. Better if she poops outside, dust bathes, etc. Depending on the hen I sometimes have to make them go out. I have one I just put in yesterday. I'll probably let her out when it stops raining, but not let her back where everybody else lays. Just a solo trip in the yard for now. I'll switch out her eggs for fertile ones maybe tomorrow.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Yeah mine is pretty high up and I worry that she wouldn’t like one on the ground as we have a new puppy that has gotten in a few times. Obviously I would ensure that didn’t happen, but she has no way to know that!

If you are going to move yours, I would do it tonight (with the eggs she has now) so she's settled where you want her. Then you can swap out the eggs later during her one of her outings. Just make sure she's locked up in the new spot and can't return to the old one. I like using boxes from Sam's club for nesting boxes. Easy to grab the whole nest.

 

[Jrobb78]

If you are going to move yours, I would do it tonight (with the eggs she has now) so she's settled where you want her. Then you can swap out the eggs later during her one of her outings. Just make sure she's locked up in the new spot and can't return to the old one. I like using boxes from Sam's club for nesting boxes. Easy to grab the whole nest.

So it looks like you just have her in the cage out in the run?

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

So it looks like you just have her in the cage out in the run?

All my girls of that age are temporarily in a covered run while we complete their coop. She changed her mind (took that picture a few weeks ago), but I have another girl in a huge kennel next to the run. I have put the kennel under the carport in the past. My girls free range so they'll see her and vice versa wherever she is. I think I like the option of letting her out separately at least until she's agreed to that spot.

 

[Jrobb78]

Lots of ways to manage a broody,
tho never heard the bucket thing and don't think it's good idea at all.


When I have a broody and want her to hatch I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.

Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day.
Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.

I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional.

I remove barrier about one week after hatch. The chicks are usually safe it's the broody who has to 'fight' her way back into the pecking order...which can be quick or take a few days.

Here's a bunch more techniques:
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broody-hen-thread.496101/

Lots of space helps for re-integration.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I’m brand new to hatching! Is the 21 days from the time the egg is laid, or when it starts incubating under the hen?

 

[Dr Evy]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I’m brand new to hatching! Is the 21 days from the time the egg is laid, or when it starts incubating under the hen?

Incubation

 

[Jrobb78]

Incubation

Oh good! We are going out of town for a week, and it was cutting it close from the time the eggs were laid. This makes me feel so much better!

 

[Jrobb78]

Got our hatching eggs yesterday! None were broken, so we have 16 for her. She took to the new nest and fake eggs with no problem, so I’m really hopeful that we will have a successful hatch! I got Blue Copper Maran, olive egger and black Hamburg eggs, but I’m questioning the appearance of the BCM eggs as I expected chocolate brown. Are these just poor quality?

 

[aart]

but I’m questioning the appearance of the BCM eggs as I expected chocolate brown. Are these just poor quality?

Often Marans disappoint on the color spectrum.
Were the eggs advertised a nice dark brown?

 

[Jrobb78]

Often Marans disappoint on the color spectrum.
Were the eggs advertised a nice dark brown?

They showed very dark eggs in the picture.