Here's the deal... she was sitting on 5 eggs and a week later there's 7

[Happy Camper]

Thanks to all of you for the great advice, I have learned a lot... I did not consider what Fuzzy is saying regarding the care of the two additional chicks since she'll reject them...

I guess I will have to babysit for a while

... I have incubated eggs before at home and caring for baby chicks is sooooooo time consuming it isn't even funny...

Well, I guess I will never forget to mark the eggs in the future...

Thanks a lot everybody

 

[FarmersHatchery]

Another hen has laid some of her eggs in there. It happens all the time. Sometimes other hens will even cram into the nest box when the broody hen is still in there even and lay there eggs.

If you are wanting to get as many baby chicks as possible, try to get a brooder set up. When the first chicks hatch, place them in the brooder. That way, the broody hen will stay sitting on the eggs. Shove any other eggs that your hens lay underneath the broody hen. If eggs start to overflow from under her, stop putting eggs under her till more chicks hatch and there is open space for new eggs.

By doing this, your broody hen will continue to sit on eggs, sometimes sitting for months at a time. You can get lots of chicks this way. The only set back is you will have to care for the newborn chicks instead of the mommy hen, but it is worth it. If you don't have a brooder, look up online how to set up an area with a heat lamp.

 

[Happy Camper]

Well, thanks so much Farmers Hatchery!!!... I really need more chicks and if I am going to sacrifice for two (caring for them) I might as well do it for more for a bit longer and then just let my broody rest... ooooor... just find a nice home for my two small chickies until they are a bit bigger and can come to the coop...

...decisions, decisions

 

[Happy Camper]

Fuzzy Butts... you were right!!! I think Bonita Linda (the hen that was laying on Mamita's nest) is broooodyyyy tooooo!!!

Could I be happier???!!!!! Yesterday I separated Mamita from the flock and there was Bonita Linda doing this weird sound at the other side of Mamita's nest... like saying "let me in!!!"... I picked her and put her in another nest with an egg she layed yesterday and she stayed!!! First of all she let me grab her (she doesn't like to be touched) and then she sat there and rolled the egg under her!!!! I'm hopeful she'll stay there!!!!

Now I have this question... should I move the two eggs that won't hatch from Mamita to BLinda's nest when she finally sits, or to my incubator and let Bonita accumulate her eggs and sit on her's whenever that happens?

She's got only one egg as of now...

 

[FarmersHatchery]

That's great news that Bonita is broody too! On what to do with the two eggs that won't hatch from Mamita, it is up to you. If you put them in the incubator, you'll have to care for the chicks. Also, their hatchability usually decreases in incubators, so they are less likely to hatch. By putting the eggs underneath Bonita, you won't have to take care of the chicks and they are much more likely to hatch. I would just let Bonita hatch all three personally (mainly because I have no luck with incubators). Another thing you can do, is put the three eggs in the incubator, then put three golf balls underneath Bonita. That way she'll stay broody, but it will allow you to collect eggs from your hens for a week or so till you get more. Put the collected eggs underneath Bonita then all at once, that way Bonita will be sitting on more eggs then just the 1 or 3, and the eggs will all be due to hatch on the same day.

Good luck hatching!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Also, another thought, you don't want the original broody to b able to hear her chicks if you take them away to extend the broody time..she may go looking for them. I think they bond before they hatch through peeps and clucks. I've also had close broodies get confused when one hen hatches hers a few days ahead of time...she hears those peeps and starts looking for chicks. Just keep an eye out and put the right hen back on the right eggs!

 

[Happy Camper]

Mamita's eggs started hatching today

... I decided to remove them to a brooder and place the other hen's eggs under her since the other one hadn't sat yet... My question is ... how soon can I do the move? Should I move them one by one as they hatch???

I'd love for her to seat another couple weeks and I'll make sure the chicks are taken care of in the brooder... I need lots of healthy chicks ...

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

One by one isn't a good idea as you will have a staggered hatch. The egg you put under her today will start to develop. Usually once they start to hatch the hen gives it three days and quits...but I don't know how long she'll go if she has no chicks. I'd wait till day three of this hatch, candle the remaining eggs and place all the additional eggs at once....then start your count to 21 days. She'll be starting the brood all over...really messing around this way, don't you think it would be easier to get an incubator? The really purpose of a broody is to hatch, then raise the chicks...since that is the labor intensive phase and you are going to be raising these chicks yourself. The other option is get a few of those broodies just to incubate eggs for you - silkies I think they are, there are other types that love to brood as well, so that would prob be a cost effective venture. What do you think?

 

[Happy Camper]

I am exhausted already and is hatch day 1... this is what I ended up doing... I will let her finish w her original eggs and will move to an incubator any unhatched eggs on day 3... those chicks I will probably try to sneak under her at night or just move them to my brooder...

I have moved the other hen with the ones she layed (5) to a closed cage (is pretty big) and a nest with her eggs in it... If she's broody she should be sitting this week... That's my inexperienced guess.... if she's not I'll just have a big omellet...

Here's a thing I just did that I will never do again... I moved the hen w/ her hatching eggs to a smaller private pen (I felt I had to do it since the pen she was in was not save for chicks and tomorrow I would not be able to watch her all day)...

She's fine now but when I changed her she was so startled that she pecked at a hatching egg and would not stop. The egg had some blood and I just put it in my incubator. I thought she would not stop and would ultimately kill it... Don't know if I did well... She seems fine now but I just regret not having things super ready when it was ok to make these types of decisions... I feel pretty awful... Hopefully the rest of the hatch will be fine ...

Thanks for your help

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Well some broodies are just sensitive, some aren't. It's hard to know right out of the gate. It's even harder to leave them alone.! I try to just listen -out of sight -to know when they hatch. After afew days she will move te chicks off the nest and abandon any eggs that likely won't make it or are duds...I never bother with those eggsleft behind...don't need to know. That's why I use a broody instead of an incubator..I leave it to nature. Now if i just wanted chicks I'd incubate with a fresh batch and raise them in a brooder...nothing wrong with that.