How can I do this?

[davi]

My hens started laying, so I want them to lay on purchased fertile eggs in the spring, but only one of them has only started laying and they had no clue that they had to sit on the eggs, becuase I bought them from a feed store. I asked someone else about this situation but she said that bantams were smart so they might know what to do with thier eggs. Is this true?

Not only that, ( hope Im not asking too much ) when I got them to sit on the eggs, and they just might hatch, how will I feed them both at the same time, will the other hens disturb the new family, and will she keep laying after she's raised them?

 

[KrisH]

My hens started laying, so I want them to lay on purchased fertile eggs in the spring, but only one of them has only started laying and they had no clue that they had to sit on the eggs, becuase I bought them from a feed store. I asked someone else about this situation but she said that bantams were smart so they might know what to do with thier eggs. Is this true? Not only that, ( hope Im not asking too much ) when I got them to sit on the eggs, and they just might hatch, how will I feed them both at the same time, will the other hens disturb the new family, and will she keep laying after she's raised them?

Some varieties rarely go broody, and some need a few eggs, some need a lot. or reds could care less, our
wyandotte will try to hatch invisible eggs. if they go broody and raise the chicks they will guard them, but it will be a few months until they lay again. I have heard that some people will get a silkie or other broody variety to use as an incubator.


RobertH

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where you bought them has nothing to do with it. Them going broody is hormonal. Some go broody fairly often and some will never go broody. It is purely hereditary, not a learned behavior.

I feed a mixed age flock with whatever the chicks need and provide oyster shell on the side. The hens that need the oyster shell for their eggs eat it and the rest don't eat enough to hurt themselves. The hens do fine on chick feed as long as they have oyster shell on the side.

Hens have been raising chicks with the flock for thousands of years. They are living animals. You can't predict what will actually happen in each individual case, but usually Mama will protect her chicks very well. Most broodies have such a bad attitude that the other hens quickly learn to leave their chicks alone.

After the broody weans her chicks, she will go back to laying. I had one hen start to lay about 2-1/2 weeks after her chicks hatched. She didn't wean them until they were three weeks old. Those chicks were really confused when she was on the nest laying. Much more normal though is for the hen to start laying a week or two after she weans her chicks. This can be over two months after they hatch.

 

[davi]

Actually, Ive been rasing them since they were little babies, they come to me every morning for food, and they can totally rely on me for thier saftey, but she's never been agressive or protective before. Although sometimes the smaller ones always get picked on, especially about the bigger one's lunch. The hen that started laying was a light sussex, I have two light sussexs and two bantams.
Black star and welsummer hen. But it really helped! Thanks!