Hello, I got a batch of eggs in the incubator and a broody hen sitting on a nest. I don't think the nest will do well as the eggs she's got have a lot of dirt on them, but I think it'd be nice to let her raise some chicks of her own. So I'm thinking when my incubator eggs hatch next week I'll give her 5-8 of them depending on how many hatch. This way my brooder will be a little cleaner and the hen gets her babies.
I've never done this before and don't really know how to go about it.
So right now the Orpington hen is sitting on about 5-7 eggs, 1 being fake. She's outside but separated off into her own chicken coop. She's been broody for a while but has only been on these eggs since yesterday.
Next week after my new Orpington chicks hatch, I plan to stick some in the brooder with my Appenzellar chicks, and some under her. Since they aren't hatched yet I have no clue how many will, but so far 13 - 14 of them look promising.
Currently, my plan is to wait until the hatch is over, sort my chicks into two boxes, and then go out before sunrise to replace her eggs with one box of chicks. Then I can try to monitor them throughout the day to make sure she's accepted them.
I was also going to just throw out the eggs for her nest, but I think I might stick them in the incubator after the switch and see how they do. I don't think they'd hatch, and if they did they would be two weeks younger than my other chicks and I'm not quite sure what I'd do with them.
I've never done this before and don't really know how to go about it.
So right now the Orpington hen is sitting on about 5-7 eggs, 1 being fake. She's outside but separated off into her own chicken coop. She's been broody for a while but has only been on these eggs since yesterday.
Next week after my new Orpington chicks hatch, I plan to stick some in the brooder with my Appenzellar chicks, and some under her. Since they aren't hatched yet I have no clue how many will, but so far 13 - 14 of them look promising.
Currently, my plan is to wait until the hatch is over, sort my chicks into two boxes, and then go out before sunrise to replace her eggs with one box of chicks. Then I can try to monitor them throughout the day to make sure she's accepted them.
I was also going to just throw out the eggs for her nest, but I think I might stick them in the incubator after the switch and see how they do. I don't think they'd hatch, and if they did they would be two weeks younger than my other chicks and I'm not quite sure what I'd do with them.