Hatching Fertilized Eggs

[MeridianChick]

I have a broody easter egger hen that we got three fertilized eggs for. Yesterday, we found that she'd been sitting on the wrong eggs. How could I stop this?

 

[Hybridchucks]

I would put her in a box and put her on them and leave her for the night and take her out often to feed and water her and then put her back (no more than 10 mins)

 

[MeridianChick]

Thanks! We were thinking of getting her a small coop with food and water of her own.

 

[Hybridchucks]

good idea! but get her used to sitting on the right eggs by putting her in a box for 24 hours or something.......

 

[MeridianChick]

Cool!

 

[Ridgerunner]

What sometimes happens is that when the broody gets off the nest for her daily constitutional another hen gets on the nest to lay an egg. The broody then goes to the wrong nest. Some broody hens are more prone to that than others. When that happens I just put the broody hen back on the correct nest and usually get good hatches, even if the eggs get pretty cold to the touch.

But it is frustrating. The problem with moving a broody to another nest is that she might break from being broody, which you don't want. If you can build a pen around her current nest so you can feed and water her but keep her from leaving the area and keep other hens from getting on that nest, your problem is solved.

A lot of people have great success in moving a broody hen without breaking her, though occasionally it doesn't work. Some of the tricks I've learned to improve you odds are to make the new nest fairly dark. A dark nest appears to be "hidden" which the broody likes. I make the new nest so I can lock her in it for the first day I move her, letting her out at the end of the day just before dark. That's not cruel, broody hens are used to staying on their nests like that. I typically move them at night, using as little light and commotion as possible. Make sure the hen cannot leave the new nest area and go back to her old nest.

Good luck!

 

[MeridianChick]

Yeah. I check her multiple times a day to make sure she's on the right eggs.

 

[Hybridchucks]

Great!

 

[chickens really]

I always move my hens and eggs into a brooder for setting till chicks hatch...Less confusion...

 

[Hybridchucks]