Hatching eggs

[J99]

I have decided that I just want to allow my chickens to have eggs and I collect them and then if I get a broody hen just let them sit and have babies and raise them in my flock without my help?

 

[PioneerChicks]

If you have a rooster I think that would work, but I am no expert.
I do know that there are some breeds, such as polish who will never go boody. If you have only polish than they will never go broody. (I am 90 percent sure this is true, please tell me if I am wrong.)
The polish in your avatar photo is beautiful.

 

[J99]

They don’t usually go broody no but I also have other breeds such as orpingtons that Do go broody so I can put polish eggs under them

 

[J99]

Ps thank you this is her now her names is Quincy

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have decided that I just want to allow my chickens to have eggs and I collect them and then if I get a broody hen just let them sit and have babies and raise them in my flock without my help?

Not exactly sure I follow the details of your plan. You cannot control if a hen will ever go broody and you certainly cannot control when.

The way I do it is to collect eggs every day. When a hen goes broody I wait until she stays on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot for two consecutive nights. I gather eggs the other hens are laying. When I have enough I mark them and start them all at the same time. Then, every day after the others have laid, I check under the broody hen and remove any eggs that do not belong. The rest I leave up to the hen.

 

[333113]

Yes, that could work. I have Crevecoeurs, and, like Polish, they don't go broody. I use Nankins to hatch and raise them, mostly, but other bantams or standard-size birds like Buff Orpingtons that go broody do just as good a job as the Nankins. (None of my Buff Orpingtons have gone broody, so I have used Nankins to raise them, too.)
I have photos for this in my Crevecoeur gallery:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/nankins-ccs-img_20170520_164216300.7911146/

If you look through the gallery you'll see I also have some Crevecoeurs raised by Sultans.

 

[J99]

Yes but the polish chickens are still around after hundreds of years so before brooders came along etc they were managing to do this all on their own I figure. I do like the plan of putting some under her all the same day and marking them but I have questions about that so we take the eggs out from under her for two days and see if she stays on the nest anyway? Then place a bunch under her ( how many realistically) and mark them and leave them there , when do I candle them? And after all’s said and done and she hatches all these odd brands out she will move? And care for and raise them all as hers?

 

[Ridgerunner]

so we take the eggs out from under her for two days and see if she stays on the nest anyway?

Yes, but put a couple of fake eggs under her, like golf balls. Or a coupe of real but sacrificial eggs. You want her to start all the eggs she is to hatch at the same time. Otherwise you get what we call a staggered hatch and that is bad.

Then place a bunch under her ( how many realistically) and mark them and leave them there ,

Different hens and different eggs are different sizes. How many can she comfortably cover? Some tiny bantams may only be able to cover 4 full sized hen eggs. Some large breeds can cover a whole lot more.

when do I candle them?

I never candle eggs under a broody, but you can if you wish. Candling does not help them hatch, it's just for your benefit.

And after all’s said and done and she hatches all these odd brands out she will move? And care for and raise them all as hers?

Yes

 

[333113]

Something to keep in mind here is that there have also been hundreds of years of selection for non-broodiness in some breeds, including the Polish.

Broodiness is not a choice on the part of the hen, it's more a piece of her inherited behavior. People who have selected chickens for non-broodiness usually did that on purpose so that the hens would have more days to lay eggs, instead of raising chicks.

If you have bantam Polish, you have a better chance of getting a broody hen than with the standard size. Most bantams have not been selected for egg-laying, so I think not a lot of effort went into getting rid of broodiness in bantams.

Yes but the polish chickens are still around after hundreds of years so before brooders came along etc they were managing to do this all on their own I figure. I do like the plan of putting some under her all the same day and marking them but I have questions about that so we take the eggs out from under her for two days and see if she stays on the nest anyway? Then place a bunch under her ( how many realistically) and mark them and leave them there , when do I candle them? And after all’s said and done and she hatches all these odd brands out she will move? And care for and raise them all as hers?

 

[Shorty22366]

I have silkies, Jersey Giants, Favorellas, polish, opingtons, easter eggers and mixes. They have all gone broody in last 3 years. All my hens raise all the babies together. After they all hatch their eggs all the babies mix together and play and at night I think each chick goes to hen that is closest to them. When they go out in run the hens take them all out at once and then my wonderful roosters keep a close eye on them all. My favorella roosters will sit on a nest of eggs when hen goes out to eat and poop. I think it really depends on individual chickens.