giving fertile (chicken, banty and duck) eggs to broody hen- UPDATE ?s

[dehave]

*******I don't think I did this right. The update is the last post.********


Ok, so my hen has been broody for a little over a week. I have posted ads looking for fertile eggs, as I lost my dear sweet rooster a few months ago. I got several responses before I was able to delete my ad. I got one response with regular fertile chicken eggs that is what I wanted, then one response with a woman whose ducks won't sit on her eggs and really wants my hen to foster her eggs (she will want her ducklings back when hatched) , then one woman who lost her whole flock to predators last week and has fertile eggs in the fridge. She wants our girl to foster and then split the chicks.

So here is the question. I want to do it all! How many eggs can my lovely lady sit on at one time? Couls she do 4 of each? I think duck eggs need to go in a couple of days prior to the chicken eggs? Can refrigerated eggs be hatched? Is this overly ambitious for a first timer? I figure momma hen will do it right, even if I don't know what I am doing...is that naive?

Thanks for any answers. I guess I need to make a decision soon.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Refridgerated eggs most likely will NOT hatch. The fridge is too cold. What size is she? If she is a bantam chicken she can sit on about 6 regular eggs or up to 10 bantam eggs. The mother hen will know what to do, dont worry. Chicken eggs take 21 days. Duck eggs take 28 days, 26 for Call Ducks. Bantam chicken eggs can hatch a day or two earlier than regular sized chickens. I would put the duck eggs in 7-8 days earlier than the chicken eggs.

 

[dehave]

She is a small to medium size. The people we got her from said she is a mutt, maybe with some kind of banty in her somewhere. To me she looks like a small RIR or a darkish buff orpington, but I'm just guessing. I was thinking ideally I would give her 4 reg chicken eggs, 4 of the orphaned refrigerated banty/araucana eggs, and 4 of the duck eggs. Do you think that is too much?

I would do the duck eggs first, the reg eggs 7 days later and the banty X the day after. Does that sound right?

If they end up hatching on different days and she leaves the nest, can I hatch the rest in an incubator of some sort?

Thanks for the help!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

If she is small to medium sized i would only put 10 max. under her. The duck eggs put under 1st then 7 days later put the chicken eggs under her. If they hatch on different days and she leaves the nest you can put the rest into an incubator.

 

[dehave]

I was going to move her tonight into a dog crate with her nest and leave it in the chicken tractor. If she stays on it overnight can I give her eggs tomorrow?

I would leave the door on the crate open until a few days before hatch and then close it. Does that sound right?

Thanks!

 

[chickiepoo]

I personally wouldn't close it. She will (or mine do) get up for a few minutes to eat and poop each day. Actually, mine would eat and drink every day, but poop every other day.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I wouldnt lock her in. Just make a nice nest for her. Put some golf balls or some small easter eggs in the nest and if she sits over night I would put eggs under her.

 

[dehave]

!!! So yesterday I put a large cat carrier in the chicken tractor with fresh straw, without the door on it. Then last night, around 9:30 I went out and moved Bella (broody hen) into it with the 3 unfertile eggs and 1 golf ball she was sitting on.

This morning, Bella is back in her regular nesting box, but still acting broody. The thing is that Ramona (mutt - looks like black orpington) is in there with her and got all fluffy and raised her tail feathers at me and growled. They are shoved in there together, it is kind of a small box.......I hear a rucus out there, I'm going to check.....

I just went out there cause our 3rd girl was talking about her new egg. Ramona is now out of the nest box and walking around. I have two questions.

1. Since Bella went back to her original nest box, what should I do? Let her sit on the eggs there? It's about 2.5' off the ground, and I can't think of any way to keep the other ladies off of her.

2. Since Ramona got all puffy like that could that mean that she is thinking about going broody? Or might she just have been laying an egg? Our third lady, Rita, bit me when I tried to touch her, but didn't get puffy at all, and then anounced her egg a few minutes later, so I assume she bit me because she was laying.

Sorry so long, Thanks! BTW, I am supposed to be getting a clutch of duck eggs to put under Bella tonight... don't know what to do?