Hen brooding/leaving eggs

[Beth3726]

Hi - we have 2 brooders - 4 new chicks - and the original brooder - who started this whole mess - has left the eggs last night - 17 of them - and wants to be with the chicks - even though the chicks were hatched with another hen - that hen is laying next to them - and neither one is laying on the 17 - its is about 100 - here today - will they be ok? I was going to see if any one of them will jump back - should I take them and put in house with heat lamp? She was laying on them for about 2 weeks..

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If you must them and turn them until lock down you can. It's safest to just take them into the house or under a hen going broody.

Mice and wild birds won't hesitate to eat growing eggs

 

[Beth3726]

they are in a coop - but both hens want to be with chicks - will the eggs still become chicks if they stop laying on it? I can try to place the nicer hen on them and see what she does

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If they aren't broody now, they do t magically go broody by placing them on a clutch. I'd take them inside and just finish yourself if you don't want to give up on then

 

[Beth3726]

shes been laying on them for about 2 weeks - and the other eggs she started are now hatching and she wants to be with them - even though another hen was on them when they hatched.... I just would feel bad if they are almost ready to hatch and she left them ...

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Then take them inside and finish the job. She won't go back to them even if you seperate her and the eggs away from the other hen and chicks. Trust me, I've tried that

 

[Ridgerunner]

they are in a coop - but both hens want to be with chicks

That's not that unusual a reaction. Often a hen will stay with her eggs even when another hen hatches but I have had some abandon their eggs to go raise the other chicks. She hears them chirping and the maternity urge takes over. Sometimes the two hens will work together to raise the chicks, sometimes the hens fight to keep the chicks for themselves. Many people are fine with different broodies on different nests in the same coop but occasionally you can get that reaction.

- will the eggs still become chicks if they stop laying on it?

With a week to go, no. You are not in a good spot. You can try to lock that hen in the nest with those eggs so it's totally dark until tomorrow and move the other hen and chicks where she can't hear them but it's probably too late. She has probably switched from incubating mode to raising mode. But you never can tell, but don't get your hopes up.

If you have another broody hen you can move the eggs under her. But another one hen that is not now broody will not go broody just because the eggs are there.

Another option would be to get them in an incubator. At those temperatures they will be OK for several hours but I'd want them heating up by the end of the day. You can buy one or try to make a hatcher. After two weeks they don't need to be turned but they need heat and humidity. You can find some articles on how to build a homemade incubator in this section of the Learning Center.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/incubators-brooders.27/


Good luck!

 

[Beth3726]

thanks for your help - when I came home from work - she was back on the 17 and the other one was back with babies - time will tell for now - I shouldve marked them when she was off...