Hen went broody & now we’ve got chicks on the way... question!

[Lokale90]

One of my girls went broody & I decided to see this through. I realized what was happening on the 7th of this month. She was sitting on 4 eggs. After a couple of days I decided to check the eggs & out of the 4, 1 had started to develop. At some point throughout the week other hens were able to lay an egg in the nesting box she had chosen (I found 7 under her at one point). I’m not sure when these eggs were laid; they could’ve been up to a week+ after the first one. My question is, if these eggs are all going to hatch at different times, is this something I need to be concerned about? Will she still care for these eggs if 1 chick has already hatched, how does this work? For reference, I now have 3 eggs total with a baby chick on the way.

 

[NatJ]

A hen cannot sit on eggs to keep them warm, and also walk around teaching chicks to eat, at the same time. It is just not possible.

If you put food and water right next to the hen, she might stay on the nest until the last ones hatch, and the first ones will be able to eat and drink right there. That's "maybe" she will stay on the nest, not a certainty. (Of course it is fine if she still comes off to poop, but if she is off all day those eggs will be in big trouble.)

If you set up a brooder, you can take the first chick away and start raising it in the brooder. Take each chick as soon as you see it has hatched, until the last one hatches. Then return all chicks to the hen. Possible problems: the hen might come off the nest anyway when the first chick hatches, or she might refuse to take the chicks back after the rest hatch.

If you set up an incubator, you can watch for the hen to get off the nest with the first chick, then move the remaining eggs to the incubator. When each chick hatches, let it have long enough to be steady on its legs, then give it back to the hen. Of course, she might not accept the chicks back.

Every option I can think of has some uncertainty, and I do not know which is easier or better in your situation, or which is more likely to work.

For future, try not to let eggs get added to the clutch after she starts setting. You can mark the eggs, then check each day to remove any new (unmarked) ones. Or you can separate the setting hen from the others, so the other hens cannot lay eggs in her nest.

 

[Lokale90]

A hen cannot sit on eggs to keep them warm, and also walk around teaching chicks to eat, at the same time. It is just not possible.

If you put food and water right next to the hen, she might stay on the nest until the last ones hatch, and the first ones will be able to eat and drink right there. That's "maybe" she will stay on the nest, not a certainty. (Of course it is fine if she still comes off to poop, but if she is off all day those eggs will be in big trouble.)

If you set up a brooder, you can take the first chick away and start raising it in the brooder. Take each chick as soon as you see it has hatched, until the last one hatches. Then return all chicks to the hen. Possible problems: the hen might come off the nest anyway when the first chick hatches, or she might refuse to take the chicks back after the rest hatch.

If you set up an incubator, you can watch for the hen to get off the nest with the first chick, then move the remaining eggs to the incubator. When each chick hatches, let it have long enough to be steady on its legs, then give it back to the hen. Of course, she might not accept the chicks back.

Every option I can think of has some uncertainty, and I do not know which is easier or better in your situation, or which is more likely to work.

For future, try not to let eggs get added to the clutch after she starts setting. You can mark the eggs, then check each day to remove any new (unmarked) ones. Or you can separate the setting hen from the others, so the other hens cannot lay eggs in her nest.

Oh man, I wish I had thought to do that. Keep her separate or marking the eggs would have made this so much easier to keep track. Now that you've said it, I feel like this should have been common sense.
If this happens again, what is safe to mark them with?

 

[NatJ]

Oh man, I wish I had thought to do that. Keep her separate or marking the eggs would have made this so much easier to keep track. Now that you've said it, I feel like this should have been common sense.

That's a familiar reaction-- many things are obvious AFTER I learn them!

If this happens again, what is safe to mark them with?

Pencil is safe.
I'm pretty sure I've read of people using Sharpie marker.
Crayon should be safe (non-toxic for kids to use.)

Pencil can wear off by the end of incubation, but if you are checking every day you can just add more pencil a time or two, as it gets faint.

 

[Lokale90]

That's a familiar reaction-- many things are obvious AFTER I learn them!


Pencil is safe.
I'm pretty sure I've read of people using Sharpie marker.
Crayon should be safe (non-toxic for kids to use.)

Pencil can wear off by the end of incubation, but if you are checking every day you can just add more pencil a time or two, as it gets faint.

Ha, right!
Thanks so much for your answers!!

 

[Tonyroo]

That's a familiar reaction-- many things are obvious AFTER I learn them!


Pencil is safe.
I'm pretty sure I've read of people using Sharpie marker.
Crayon should be safe (non-toxic for kids to use.)

Pencil can wear off by the end of incubation, but if you are checking every day you can just add more pencil a time or two, as it gets faint.

Is food coloring another option? Be very easy to see that on an egg especially straight from the bottle.

 

[Lokale90]

Is food coloring another option? Be very easy to see that on an egg especially straight from the bottle.

Oh, that’s a good question! I’d also like to know the answer to this. My neighbor is a self proclaimed hippie & made her own food coloring when they dyed Easter eggs this year. I wonder if her method would be okay if the store bought kind isn’t.

 

[NatJ]

Oh, that’s a good question! I’d also like to know the answer to this. My neighbor is a self proclaimed hippie & made her own food coloring when they dyed Easter eggs this year. I wonder if her method would be okay if the store bought kind isn’t.

The store bought kind is probably fine.
You would certainly need to let it dry before you put the egg under the hen.

I know that food coloring stays on some things and rubs off of other things, so I do not know how well it would stay on an egg under a hen. It might even be different from one color to another.

If would be easy enough to test: mark each egg in several ways (maybe pencil, crayon, food coloring), and see which marking stays on the egg longest under a broody hen.