Hatching eggs naturally ADVICE please

[Asaria1]

Hello all. Today is day 17 that my hen has been sitting on her clutch of 5 eggs. Her sister decided to go broody today, and i do not have any more fertilized eggs, so i gave my original broody 3 of the eggs and gave her newly broody sister 2 of the eggs. My concern is that we are approaching the final days, where i’ve read the momma hen does not leave her clutch at all anymore. Since this is only “day one” for the sister hen, will she know that she has to stay on her eggs round the clock as we approach the end in the next couple of days? If not, and she chooses to get up for her daily meal/water/bath/poop, will she disrupt the hatching process? This is all so new to me.
Thank you!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I don't think she would disrupt the hatching processing, but only time will tell. This being so early, I would watch her when the chicks start to hatch in case things go sideways.

 

[ronott1]

Hello all. Today is day 17 that my hen has been sitting on her clutch of 5 eggs. Her sister decided to go broody today, and i do not have any more fertilized eggs, so i gave my original broody 3 of the eggs and gave her newly broody sister 2 of the eggs. My concern is that we are approaching the final days, where i’ve read the momma hen does not leave her clutch at all anymore. Since this is only “day one” for the sister hen, will she know that she has to stay on her eggs round the clock as we approach the end in the next couple of days? If not, and she chooses to get up for her daily meal/water/bath/poop, will she disrupt the hatching process? This is all so new to me.
Thank you!

How fun!

You can wait until the chicks hatch under the first broody and then give her one or two chicks. That should break from being broody and she will start raising chicks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Personally I'd leave all five eggs under the original hen. Why mess up something that is working just to make it more complicated and create extra modes of potential failure? The more I interfere the more problems I cause.

If you don't want any more chicks break that second hen from being broody. Put her in a crate or cage with a wire bottom so air can hit her undersides. Give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest and leave her in there for 72 hours.

If you want her to hatch start looking for fertile eggs. You have a week or so to find them.

Sometimes people can have multiple broody hens and it works out fine. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the hens fight over the eggs or chicks to see who gets to hatch or raise them. Eggs and chicks have been destroyed in those fights.

When a chick internally pips it starts talking to the hen by chirping. That tells her one is on the way. I once had a hen that went broody a couple of days before another broody was ready to hatch. When the new broody heard that internal chirping she fought the other hen for the right to hatch those chicks. They destroyed half the eggs. Every egg destroyed had a chick in it on the verge of hatching. I never let that situation develop again.

 

[Asaria1]

How fun!

You can wait until the chicks hatch under the first broody and then give her one or two chicks. That should break from being broody and she will start raising chicks

Perfect! I’ll do that! I’ll just slide some phony eggs under her in the meantime, and when the chicks hatch i’ll TRICK HER. Hahahaha. Thank you!!!!

 

[Asaria1]

Personally I'd leave all five eggs under the original hen. Why mess up something that is working just to make it more complicated and create extra modes of potential failure? The more I interfere the more problems I cause.

If you don't want any more chicks break that second hen from being broody. Put her in a crate or cage with a wire bottom so air can hit her undersides. Give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest and leave her in there for 72 hours.

If you want her to hatch start looking for fertile eggs. You have a week or so to find them.

Sometimes people can have multiple broody hens and it works out fine. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the hens fight over the eggs or chicks to see who gets to hatch or raise them. Eggs and chicks have been destroyed in those fights.

When a chick internally pips it starts talking to the hen by chirping. That tells her one is on the way. I once had a hen that went broody a couple of days before another broody was ready to hatch. When the new broody heard that internal chirping she fought the other hen for the right to hatch those chicks. They destroyed half the eggs. Every egg destroyed had a chick in it on the verge of hatching. I never let that situation develop again.

Thank you for the warning! I will definitely watch out for those signs!!!

 

[Sonya9]

Perfect! I’ll do that! I’ll just slide some phony eggs under her in the meantime, and when the chicks hatch i’ll TRICK HER. Hahahaha. Thank you!!!!

Yeah eggs hatching after only 4 days of brooding would not be good, the second broody would probably reject them or even kill them. Many birds need to sit about 21 days, or close to it before they will accept the chicks. If you want more chicks you can also buy very young babies around the 2nd broody's 20 day mark and sneak them under her at night.

In the meantime create something to keep other birds out of the 1st broodies nest. Create a separate pen for the one that is about to hatch those 5 eggs. Try to keep the new mom and chicks in that pen for a few days so she can bond with the tiny babies and they can develope a little, then let her take the babies out with the rest of the flock when she is ready. Most people try to move their broodies into pens (inside the main coop with the flock) early in the setting process, often immediately with dud eggs and once the settle after a day or two they get fertile hatching eggs.