Help egg hatching question

[feather and mountain man]

Can I put fertilized eggs under my hens and let them hatch them? I have 11 hens 3 RIR, 2black austalorps, 3light brahma, and 3barred rocks. No rooster. I want to get my mother some Easter Egg chickens for mothersday. I want chicks to raise up a few months before giving to mom. I don't have an incubator and all the hatcheries have min orders. I just want to get her 10 hens and a roo. Help please!

 

[The Chicken People]

If your hens are broody!

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
X2 You can't just put eggs under a hen and hope she will sit on them. If you search for broody behaviors you will find out what to look for. Also, I am assuming that you will be getting your fertilized eggs from someone with a rooster?

I know that is a silly question, but sometimes you just gotta ask. AND:

 

[feather and mountain man]

Is there anything I can do to help make them broody. Usually I have one or two broody every week. Sometimes not for a week or two. How long can I wait to incubate the fertilized eggs.

 

[feather and mountain man]

Quote:
X2 You can't just put eggs under a hen and hope she will sit on them. If you search for broody behaviors you will find out what to look for. Also, I am assuming that you will be getting your fertilized eggs from someone with a rooster?

I know that is a silly question, but sometimes you just gotta ask. AND:

That would be the only way! Silly Goose.

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
Are you sure they are broody? Have you had to break the broody behavior before? I would really suggest doing a search so that you get good suggestions on broody behavior and making sure that the hen is going to sit on the eggs especially if you don't have a back up of an incubator. I haven't had a broody yet but from what I have read you need to wait a few days and make sure the hen is going to stay broody? I hope you get more information

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
Well like I said, sometimes you just gotta ask!

Surprising what some people think!

 

[feather and mountain man]

Quote:
Are you sure they are broody? Have you had to break the broody behavior before? I would really suggest doing a search so that you get good suggestions on broody behavior and making sure that the hen is going to sit on the eggs especially if you don't have a back up of an incubator. I haven't had a broody yet but from what I have read you need to wait a few days and make sure the hen is going to stay broody? I hope you get more information

Yes I have had chickens for years. I keep my chickens happy. Right now out of 11 hens I am getting 7 to 10 eggs a day. All my chickens have hatched eggs before our rooster got killed by a dog. My RIR's and Light Brahma's are my best setters and are most often the ones who are broody.

 

[feather and mountain man]

So anyway can anyone tell me how long I can keep the fertilized eggs before placing them under my hens.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Keep in mind that you have a 50/50 chance of hatching a male or a female chick, so I seriously doubt you will get 10 hens and 1 rooster out of the eggs you incubate. You will want to incubate around 2 dozen eggs to make sure you get at least 11 or so to develop... maybe even more eggs if you can get them. A typical full sized hen can cover 8-10 eggs, so you will need about 3 or 4 broodies.

The longest we keep eggs for incubation is a week. They are fertile after a week, but the chances of them developing decrease every day they are sitting there.

By the time you find somebody with EE eggs, buy them, wait for your hens to go broody, wait for them to hatch, it may just be as cost effective to just order some.

I know Ideal Poultry in Texas has a $25 minimum order. For the 10 hens and 1 roo, the total comes to $27.63. That way you will have exactly what you want to give her without the hassle.