Hen or incubator for lockdown?

[chuckachucka]

I recently constructed a new incubator from scratch and put a couple of my silkie pullet's eggs in it to test if it was working properly. she just started laying and I know they are fertile (I have a Pekin cockerel).

Two weeks later, one of the eggs was an early quitter, but the second egg looks to be developing on schedule. It is now on day 18 but lo and behold, my silkie has now gone broody. She has been fully sitting for about three days now.

My question is, the egg is due to go into lockdown. should I leave it to hatch in the incubator or should I give the egg back to the chicken to hatch? She has been sitting less than one week so is this risky?

EDIT: Forgot to add that I would really prefer it if the silkie would raise the chick now as it I her own chick anyway. So even if I hatch it in the bator I will be trying to sneak it to her after hatch.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

I recently constructed a new incubator from scratch and put a couple of my silkie pullet's eggs in it to test if it was working properly. she just started laying and I know they are fertile (I have a Pekin cockerel).

Two weeks later, one of the eggs was an early quitter, but the second egg looks to be developing on schedule. It is now on day 18 but lo and behold, my silkie has now gone broody. She has been fully sitting for about three days now.

My question is, the egg is due to go into lockdown. should I leave it to hatch in the incubator or should I give the egg back to the chicken to hatch? She has been sitting less than one week so is this risky?

I would hatch it in the incubator because she might break the eggs accidentally. It hasn’t been long enough, so she might reject them, but once they have hatched you can try to skip them under her. She may or may not decide to raise them. Good luck with your chicks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's not a really easy question to answer because each hen is an individual. I had a hen only a couple of days broody try to take the eggs that were internal pipping under another hen so she could hatch and raise them herself. I once tried giving chicks out of the incubator to a hen that had only been broody a couple of days and she did not accept them. She did not hurt them or anything like that, just never took them off the nest to find food and water when it was time. They were hanging around in the nest keeping warm and she just ignored them. That was kind of weird.

A chick can go three days or more without eating or drinking after hatch and some hatches are over a lot earlier than others. The chicks that have internal pipped talk to the broody so she knows they are coming and doesn't leave the nest early. Some broodies know the hatch is over within 24 hours of the first one hatching and bring them off the nest. Some wait over three full 24-hour days.

Yours is a silkie and they are notorious for being good broody hens. They are living animals so no one can give you guarantees either way but I think you could go either route and have a really good chance of success. If it were me I'd put the egg under her and take my chances that way, but the other approach is perfectly legitimate.

Good luck!

 

[chuckachucka]

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to keep the egg in the incubator and try to give it back to the chicken after it hatches (if it hatches!).