Hatching eggs coming. What do I do?

[Andi]

I have some hatching eggs due to arrive the end of this week. Now that its getting closer, I'm getting nervous.

I'm letting my girls do the work seeing I don't have an incubator. My hopes are that the chicks will be accepted easier if one of the girls hatches them. The girls are a year old and this will be the first hatch for them. Well, me, too.

I've been doing searches and haven't found answers to all of my questions, so hopefully you guys can help me out. Almost all of the egg hatching info is incubator related.

I've read that when the eggs arrive I should let them set for 24 hours with the small end down to keep the air cell at the top. Seeing the eggs are supposed to be rotated even before incubation, should I be changing the angle of the eggs during this first 24 hours?

When I place the eggs in the nest box, do I need to put them in so the point is at least down somewhat?

Is there anything I need to do once the girls take over until hatching?

I've read about exploding eggs and how they can contaminate the other eggs. Is there some way I can tell if the eggs are filling up with bacteria? Will disturbing the eggs be a problem for which ever of my girls decides to set on them?

How long do I leave the eggs in there before I can safely tell they aren't going to hatch?

Thanks. I do appreciate the time you spend answering. I can't even begin to imagine how much stuff I'd be messing up without you guys?

 

[Julie08]

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[Andi]

Thank-you, Julie!

I do have a basement.

2 of my girls tend to be on the broody side. Seeing I'm snatching the eggs almost as fast as they lay them (to keep them clean), they haven't had much opportunity. I'm going to leave their (infertile) eggs in one of the boxes for a couple days before the shipped eggs are ready to go in there to hopefully get one of them geared up.

 

[Julie08]

that sounds perfect, might be best to make the switch at night......... good luck, what kind of eggs are you getting?

 

[Andi]

At night, good. I'll remember that.

Lav Orps and Marans, and I'm just giddy.

 

[Katy]

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So your hens aren't even broody at the moment? If their hormones don't kick in to be broody, leaving eggs in the nest isn't going to make them broody.

 

[Julie08]

it wont?? Will it at least help? I thought it would encourage them.

 

[Andi]

2 of my girls spend a fair amount of time hanging out in the boxes. Seeing I often have treats when I go out there, they are easily distracted and leave the boxes. Maybe I'll quit with the treats for a while. One of them is more inclined to stay on the nest when ever there's more than 3 eggs (which isn't often, seeing I only have 4 hens). I understand its a gamble. I'll just have to take it as it happens. I don't have an incubator, so its the girls or bust.

 

[Katy]

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If they're truely broody no treat is going to make them leave the nest.

 

[Katy]

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It depends on the hen. Some hens will never go broody....... you could leave 50 eggs in the nest and they're not going to go broody. Other hens once the "broody hormones" kick in will set on a nest with no eggs in it.