Hi, I have 14 hens, I rooster, five of my hens are banties. Anyhow, My kids usually get the eggs but skipped out and left them not picked up for two days, when I work they get them. Anyhow, when I went to get eggs there was a bantie laying on them. My questions are can a bantie set and hatch prob 4-5 bantie eggs and about 7-8 full size eggs? Can she generate enough heat? Also, can I get her up and take some of the eggs, a reasonable number of eggs? What is a reasonable number? I have had chickens since august of 08, just never had them when brooding. Thanks so much, any other info I need to know? Thanks again.
Hey, these are animals... anything is possible. It does sound like a full load for a banty hen, though. Of course, you can take as many as you want - they are your eggs, so to speak. As you know by now, hens "flatten out" when they are brooding. So leave her enough to cover well with her bottom and wings. The rest are yours - do what you want with them!
I had a banty hen sit and hatch 6 standard eggs. She also sat and hatch 10 of her own eggs. These were two different clutches.
Thanks, she does seem to covering all but one egg, and that is only half out, but she has all the straw up around her. So, isn't it best to just let her be? If she hatches any all, I will be happy. Do you all put the babies in a cage right away, has your all other chickens bothered the babies if you are not home and they hatch? I just have never hatched or dealth w/ baby chickens. Thanks
If she cannot cover all of them, you need to remove a few. She will constantly move them around under her. If one cools of because she cannot cover it, the chick in it will die. Then she will move it back under her but another one will cool off and the chick in it will die. You'll be much better off just leaving her what she can cover and keep warm.
