Help with figuring out what to do with broody eggs.

[LearninMyFlock]

Incubating really dirty eggs is not ideal, but if they are already developing fine, why not. Maybe flick off any poo chunks, but not more than that.

Ok. Than you! And what about any that may have an egg broken on them? (I don't know if these do but I've had that happen already.)

 

[ladybrasa]

How do I decide what to incubate the eggs on ( Temp and humidity) with the extra eggs I don't leave under them?

You would incubate at standard temp and humidity for the incubator you have. Temp depends on whether it is still-air or forced-air. Humidity depends on what your machine can do, and, I feel, whatever your local humidity is.

Have you had experience with moving broodies?

I’ve only had broodies just this year. They seemed to be fine getting moved during the night to new nests.

Also do they care which eggs are under them? Or can I choose the 7 each of all the oldest living eggs and divide them under the broodies?

Mine did not seem to care which eggs or how many. Some even say on empty nests if there were none (I didn’t allow them to set at first), or switched nests to one that someone had laid an egg in.

And what about any that may have an egg broken on them?

If the egg already has a live chick in it, just let it be but make sure to monitor it.

 

[LearninMyFlock]

You would incubate at standard temp and humidity for the incubator you have. Temp depends on whether it is still-air or forced-air. Humidity depends on what your machine can do, and, I feel, whatever your local humidity is.

I’ve only had broodies just this year. They seemed to be fine getting moved during the night to new nests.

Mine did not seem to care which eggs or how many. Some even say on empty nests if there were none (I didn’t allow them to set at first), or switched nests to one that someone had laid an egg in.

If the egg already has a live chick in it, just let it be but make sure to monitor it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

One thing I would not want is a staggered hatch. Those are extremely stressful whether in an incubator or under a broody hen. If eggs start incubation at different times they will not hatch together. You will have live chicks running around while others still have developing chicks in them. How do you manage that in an incubator or under a broody? People do but it's not always easy or very successful.

If I were in your situation (I have been) I'd boil up every one of those eggs, crush them, and feed them back to the chickens over a few days time. Start fresh today collecting fertile eggs and start them all at the same time. I understand how precious eggs become when you start incubating them but if you can force yourself to do this your life will be a lot simpler.

How many eggs can one hen have under her at a time with success?

As many as she can comfortably cover. Hens and eggs come in different sizes. A tiny bantam may have all she can do to cover 4 regular sized eggs, who knows how many bantam eggs a full sized hen can cover. If you get too many for her to cover, an egg can be pushed out and cool off enough to die. Then it gets pushed back under her and another is pushed out to die. You often do not get good hatches if she can't cover them all.

I typically give a hen about 12 eggs the size that she lays. I had a hen hide a nest and bring off 18 chicks. I never found her nest so I don't know how many eggs she started with. I had a hen that looked like 12 was too many for her so she only got 10 eggs. I set eggs under a broody hen in late fall where it was likely to be really cold when her chicks were small. She only got 8 eggs because I wanted to be sure she could keep her chicks warm when they got larger than egg size. I let the conditions tell me how many I can put under her.

Often when I put eggs under a broody hen I start some eggs in the incubator. Things can go wrong, either under a broody hen or in the incubator. This way she is pretty well assured of some chicks to raise. In warm weather I've had a broody hen raise 15 chicks, some that she hatched and some from the incubator.

Do I wash the eggs before incubating them?

No. As mentioned above, if you wash them you remove a protective coating that helps stop bacteria from getting inside that will kill the developing embryo. Don't set dirty eggs.

And how do I know what to set my incubator at?

Did you get any instructions with the incubator? What do they say. Different incubators operate differently. It's more than the difference between still air and forced air. You may need to tweak it in the future but I find the best place to start is with the manufacturer's suggestions.

Have you had experience with moving broodies?

The broody hen imprints on her nest, not on the eggs. If you move a broody hen you need a pen she cannot get out of and no other hen can get in. Leave her locked in there until the eggs hatch. All you need is room for a nest, food, and water, not much more. A broody hen should know instinctively to not poop in her nest and mess it up but she does not know that about food and water. You may be cleaning that a bit. Use a different pen for each broody hen, do not double up.

I find it best to make the nest kind of dark, that seems to calm them down. Move her at night with as little light and commotion as you can. The risk is that she will not accept the move and break from being broody. So it's best to move her with a couple of sacrificial eggs or fake eggs until she has accepted the move and then give her the real eggs. You can try with the eggs you have if you wish.

Also do they care which eggs are under them?

Absolutely not. They will try to hatch any other hen's eggs regardless of size or color, turkey or duck eggs, or even a door knob. Many will just use their imagination to create eggs though it's best to have something under her.

And what about any that may have an egg broken on them?

No! That broken egg contaminates that protective coating and allows bacteria in. I had that happen once, one of those things that can go wrong with a broody hen. My granddaughter was going to visit so I timed the hatch so she could be there. I tried my best but that hatch was a disaster, none hatched. That's when I started putting eggs in the incubator when I started a broody hen. I'd have really liked for some to hatch when she was there.

 

[LearninMyFlock]

Thank you @Ridgerunner !! I appreciate it. So I think what I'll do is let the two full time always warm eggs sit and empty the others. And get a fresh start so I know what's what. Thank you so much for your help.