Help! I ordered fertilized eggs!!!!

[Micmac1234]

I am so excited, I did it and I ordered my broody hen some fertilized eggs.

She chooses to brood in a corner of the coop, no nesting box. I’m wondering if I should bring a box out there, like lay it on its side to give her a more ideal environment but I don’t want to break the brood because my eggs aren’t here for another 3 days.

What do you experts think?

 

[Micmac1234]

What breed of hatching eggs did you order?

It’ll be a mix of australorps, black maran, wellsummer, and olive eggers

 

[chelseachook]

Ok well let’s hope not. I’ve already ordered the eggs and im very excited and she’s very protective so im trusting her.

Most of the time it's fine. My hen is currently raising chicks in the coop, and I'm not worried about the safety of chicks - I'm worried about the safety of the other hens and guineas . She is vicious!
If you have a pen and a run, you can lock the mum and babies in the pen and leave the others in the run - just when the babies are really small. Supervising the flocks' behaviour around the chicks will give you a good idea of whether the chicks will be safe in the coop.
Good luck with the hatch!

 

[Party_Chicken]

It’ll be a mix of australorps, black maran, wellsummer, and olive eggers

Nice variety. I have a splash marans chick and I cant wait for her to start laying!

 

[Micmac1234]

If shes with other hens the others will eat the chicks once hatched ive seen it so many times this year already.

Ok well let’s hope not. I’ve already ordered the eggs and im very excited and she’s very protective so im trusting her.

 

[junior67]

Ok well let’s hope not. I’ve already ordered the eggs and im very excited and she’s very protective so im trusting her.

Just keep an eye and have a backup plan. I had 4 chickens (a year old when they did it) raise chicks with my flock last year with no issues. This year there have been some issues, but it was with 2 of my 1 yr old hens (the others are now 2) so not sure if it is that these ones are just jerks or if these mamas just don't protect or aren't good mamas. The one that is broody now is one that raised 2 last year so planning to give her some and hopefully she will do as well as she did last year.

But it can be successfully done and is so easy since they are already integrated in with them


You can try putting a box there and she may use it. I don't think it would cause her to break broodiness if you do. She just may not use it.

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

I am so excited, I did it and I ordered my broody hen some fertilized eggs.

She chooses to brood in a corner of the coop, no nesting box. I’m wondering if I should bring a box out there, like lay it on its side to give her a more ideal environment but I don’t want to break the brood because my eggs aren’t here for another 3 days.

What do you experts think?

Well, congratulations- how exciting

I think that everyone here has had their own experiences with broody girls, both good and bad. I think the best you can do is be aware of what is going on, and be prepared to have a backup plan if it looks like safety of the chicks will be an issue.

My experience is, by no means, extensive ( One year and around 15 broody experiences). I have not been able to break ONE of these broodys, no matter how often I removed them from their boxes. I have even blocked their boxes, and they just brooded on the ground. I currently have more broody girls than boxes in one flock, so to prevent them double boxing, I put the plastic container with eggs on the ground in the coop, pulled a hen out of a box, and put her in the container. She stayed.

All of this chicken business is a crap shoot, it can always go south. Or north. I hope it all is positive for you

 

[junior67]

Hahaha good point! The others should be worried. I think they’ll hatch Saturday… I put them under her april 29 around 2 pm

we have the same hatch date and mine are under a broody as well!!!! Mine raised a chick last year and did well, hopefully she does just as good this year with more since she has 11 eggs under her! LOL

 

[Micmac1234]

I would just leave her be, as long as none of the other chickens are bothering her. When the eggs get there, mark them, then switch them with whatever she sitting on.

Ok thank you!!

 

[Micmac1234]

Nice variety. I have a splash marans chick and I cant wait for her to start laying!

Oh fun!!! I can’t wait either and I don’t even have the eggs yet