Hatching Chicks Naturlally

[loxluvschicks]

My hen entered the house 21 days ago and sat on a couple of eggs. She has barley moved since. I was not sure has many eggs she was sitting on, but a couple of days ago my hens seemed to have stopped laying altogether. Then, I discovered that every time one of my other chickens laid an egg, they were pushing it under my brooding hen. Can chicks be hatched with an incubator? If she is sitting on new eggs with the older eggs, how does she know to move to let the older ones hatch. Please give any advice that you can.

 

[sumi]

Have you got an incubator? If you do I'd suggest letting the hen hatch her original eggs and then let her raise the chicks and incubate the remaining eggs. What would also help is if you can somehow mark the eggs she's on. (I use and eye make up pencil) Then if someone adds and egg you'll know which one's fresh.

 

[Becci]

Have you got an incubator? If you do I'd suggest letting the hen hatch her original eggs and then let her raise the chicks and incubate the remaining eggs. What would also help is if you can somehow mark the eggs she's on. (I use and eye make up pencil) Then if someone adds and egg you'll know which one's fresh.

I agree.
The other hens rolling new eggs underneath your broody will eventually cause issues. When the older eggs hatch, and are ready to leave the nest, mom will abandon the younger eggs that were rolled underneath her at later times. I do agree with marking the eggs, if the hen is in an enclosure with other hens. I've tried marking with pencils, but underneath a broody, the pencil rubs off with-in a week or so. The only thing I've found that won't rub off whilst underneath the hen, is a marker, even though it's not recommended by most here, it's never affected my hatch rates. BYC has alot of great info about incubating eggs in the learning center, I'd check it out if you decide to use an incubator.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken

 

[maranmaran]

I have 2 nests with about 10 eggs each. 2 of my Mille fleurs have been brooding on them for about 12 days. Today I checked on them and found that there was one egg broken open with a small featherless dead chick beside it. The hens are no longer sitting on the nests and I do not have an incubator. Should I leave the eggs alone for a day or two or should I clean out the boxes and toss the eggs?

 

[sumi]

Leave the eggs for now. The hens may return to them. Hopefully!

 

[maranmaran]

Thanks much!

 

[sumi]

I hope this means they went back to the eggs?