Hatching

[collscrazycoop]

I'm a bit of a newbie to hatching. Will my Brody's make sure the other hens don't hurt their eggs? Is it true that she won't get up to eat or drink? When can I take the chicks from the Brody? I made a mistake and moved the nesting boxes and the three Brody's would lay on their eggs, so after 6 hours we collected them, this was on Tuesday, those babies are gone right?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I'm a bit of a newbie to hatching. Will my Brody's make sure the other hens don't hurt their eggs? Is it true that she won't get up to eat or drink? When can I take the chicks from the Brody? I made a mistake and moved the nesting boxes and the three Brody's would lay on their eggs, so after 6 hours we collected them, this was on Tuesday, those babies are gone right?

To answer Most of your Questions----No, No. If you have a broody and you are going to leave her where the other chickens can get to her nest----You have to mark the beginning eggs and remove fresh added eggs DAILY----not allowing ANY new eggs to stay only the eggs YOU collected to set under her. You for sure moved the nest wrong if they left the nest, But you did not say how long they had been setting on the eggs before you moved the nest and collected them??? There is a right way and a wrong way to move a nest/broody. Broodies usually get out the nest to poop, eat and drink once a day. Can I suggest you asking How to collect the eggs to put under the broody, when to put them under her and what you need to do and watch for---if you do not know. Asking after is asking to late.

 

[collscrazycoop]

To answer Most of your Questions----No, No. If you have a broody and you are going to leave her where the other chickens can get to her nest----You have to mark the beginning eggs and remove fresh added eggs DAILY----not allowing ANY new eggs to stay only the eggs YOU collected to set under her. You for sure moved the nest wrong if they left the nest, But you did not say how long they had been setting on the eggs before you moved the nest and collected them??? There is a right way and a wrong way to move a nest/broody. Broodies usually get out the nest to poop, eat and drink once a day. Can I suggest you asking How to collect the eggs to put under the broody, when to put them under her and what you need to do and watch for---if you do not know. Asking after is asking to late.

I've never done this. And I was asking so that I know what not to do this time as the 3 girls are laying on eggs again. They each have about three under them and have only been laying on them since yesterday. I need to move the eggs to mark them? How do I collect them? When do I put them under? And what do I need to do and watch for? I guess I didn't realize I need to put the eggs under them? I thought they did that in their own.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I've never done this. And I was asking so that I know what not to do this time as the 3 girls are laying on eggs again. They each have about three under them and have only been laying on them since yesterday. I need to move the eggs to mark them? How do I collect them? When do I put them under? And what do I need to do and watch for? I guess I didn't realize I need to put the eggs under them? I thought they did that in their own.

If the hens are broody---they are not laying eggs themselves, the eggs under them would be from other hens. You need to remove eggs daily from under these hens. ((I would not use the eggs they been setting on for 2 days mixed with new eggs. You can mark all the eggs they are setting on now and place ALL of them under one hen, Then collect eggs for the others)). When you get every how many you want to set----big hen maybe a dozen-----Mark the eggs clearly----I use a pencil and draw a dark circle around one end. Some use a sharpie. Set the one hen still collecting eggs EVERY day from all----leaving the marked eggs only. When you get enough eggs, set the second one with marked eggs, etc. Now EVERY day you will have to tilt and look under these hens and remove any unmarked eggs----can not skip a day. With good luck they will each hatch out on the 21 day of you setting their eggs.(if you put all the NOW eggs under one hen she will be due in 19 days if you feel they been setting on those eggs for 2 days. I do not like having to check under my hens daily so I move all my broody hens to a hatching pen that way I do not have to bother them and they other hens do not get in their nest and lay more eggs and bust their eggs, etc, etc. But you got to have private hatching pens and you gotta know how to move them or they will leave the eggs.

If you do not set all the eggs per hen at one time and remove fresh layed daily----your hen will have a staggered hatch which does not usually work out good at all. Good Luck.