How hands off can you be with eggs under a broody?

[sdm111]

Also I think candeling is unnecessary. The risk outweighs the reward. Anything from dropping it to her accidentally kicking or pecking it when your hand is in there and her cracking it

 

[LonestarVol]

Also if she Crack one I use clear fingernail polish over the cracks then rub it with dirt to cover up the stickiness and put it back when it's dry. Having an egg out for a while is fine. I had a hen that I swear knew just how long she could be off the nest and the eggs still live. It was like she was always off the nest and she consistently hatched 100%

That's a good idea!

 

[sdm111]

That's a good idea!

I've done it quite a few times. It works but you gotta keep an eye when it hatches. You may need to assist if it can't break through the polish if it tries to zip through it

 

[ladyhand]

. At day 18 or 19 we move the broody and her clutch to a larger, private area. Three days after hatching, they all go to our bigger chick enclosure with momma.

I read that moving them can break their brood. Having NO prior experience and a broody on 6 week old eggs, I’m very curious if I should do this at the end of next week.

I have a smaller prefab coop within my custom run and she’s currently inside my custom coop. It’s large and easy for me to get fans in there (not blowing directly on her, but hopefully enough to help with the heat wave). However, the prefab has less ventilation and I’m not sure if I could get one of the ryobi fans I use in there. I had been considering just building a barrier in the larger coop to separate the other hens.

How much access do mom and chicks need to outside?

 

[aart]

a broody on 6 week old eggs,

@ladyhand She's been setting for 6 weeks?

 

[Altairsky]

Just make sure the hen is eating and drinking enough. No need to candle. If you see the hen is out, you can candle one random egg to see if it's developing. If not candle another one. If yes, that's it, let nature do it's thing.

 

[LonestarVol]

I read that moving them can break their brood. Having NO prior experience and a broody on 6 week old eggs, I’m very curious if I should do this at the end of next week.

I have a smaller prefab coop within my custom run and she’s currently inside my custom coop. It’s large and easy for me to get fans in there (not blowing directly on her, but hopefully enough to help with the heat wave). However, the prefab has less ventilation and I’m not sure if I could get one of the ryobi fans I use in there. I had been considering just building a barrier in the larger coop to separate the other hens.

How much access do mom and chicks need to outside?

You don't want to constantly handle the eggs, but the last couple days they are already fully developed. Just move them with extreme care. My hens stay broody and very protective of the eggs and the hatchlings. I like having mine exposed to the outside asap for a couple of reasons. For one, they get used to all the movements of the outside world. They seem to be less skiddish. For two, the other chickens can come around them and get somewhat acquainted with them. It seems to help with the integration to the flock and the pecking order.

 

[ladyhand]

@ladyhand She's been setting for 6 weeks?

She has 6 eggs that she started sitting on last Tuesday. I can see how confusing I wrote that