How long do I have to add eggs to a laying broody hen?

[wild chick]

I have another broody hen, which I'm happy about. We have a rooster, so she & the other hens should be fertile. I quit picking her eggs up four days ago and she laid her 3rd egg today. Since it's pretty certain that she is going to stay setting, I added one from a flock mate to make 4. I'd like to add a few more, but how many days to I have before the 1st egg and last egg? Can I keep adding until she quits laying? Thanks, as always!

 

[NHgirl]

I have another broody hen, which I'm happy about. We have a rooster, so she & the other hens should be fertile. I quit picking her eggs up four days ago and she laid her 3rd egg today. Since it's pretty certain that she is going to stay setting, I added one from a flock mate to make 4. I'd like to add a few more, but how many days to I have before the 1st egg and last egg? Can I keep adding until she quits laying? Thanks, as always!

A good question!! I was wondering the same!! Also....while on the subject of eggs, if they float when I hard boil them, does that mean they're bad? I read somewhre that you had a few months on the counter before they went bad...

 

[wild chick]

I thought there would be an easy answer to this? Anybody? Gretchen laid another egg today and I added 2 that were laid by flock mates so she has a total of 7. She also stole the fake egg from the nest next to her, for the 2nd time, so I think she wants more. I could have added a whole bunch, but I'm only wanting eggs from certain hens, so I'm limited to 1 - 3 per day. I was hoping to get a total of 10 and quit adding. I'm letting her set her own eggs too, so far 4 are hers, and 3 are flockmates. 5 & 5 would be perfect, I just hope I'm not stringing it out too long, but if she is still laying then her setting clock somehow gets the chicks to hatch within a day or two? As soon as her clutch is complete I'll be moving her out of the nest box to a private apartment below the nest boxes.

NHgirl, my eggs always tilt air-sac up when putting water on them, and I just keep adding water until they are about an inch deep. They float fat side up, with the tip touching the bottom of the pan, but never to the top of the water. If it was me and one floated completely, I think I'd toss it.

 

[NHgirl]

NHgirl, my eggs always tilt air-sac up when putting water on them, and I just keep adding water until they are about an inch deep. They float fat side up, with the tip touching the bottom of the pan, but never to the top of the water. If it was me and one floated completely, I think I'd toss it.[/QUOTE]

Thanx, Wild Chick!! (love the name, btw!!) That sounds like good advice. I wasn't sure if it had something to do with ones that are fertile/infertile or what. Funny thing is, my rooster is a bantam and I wasn't sure if he was getting to the regular-sized chickens, but apparently so!! I checked some of the eggs this morning instead of just mindlessly cracking & cooking, and wooo-hooo!!! Yup, he's getting to them too!!

Also...it looks like everyone is on vacation I searched online to find some answers to your questions and I found a post from Backyard Chickens... (I find sometimes that it's easier to do a search in google and it always leads me back here

Some good info here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-many-eggs-can-a-hen-hatch.738145/

 

[Egghead_Jr]

No you don't want to keep adding eggs nor do you want the broody to collect eggs on her own. Or let other layers add eggs to the clutch. These are not things you want to happen as it's a waste of eggs. When the broody is sitting on eggs they are incubating, any eggs added later will be behind the timeline. Once the first chick hatches the broody will only stay on the nest for one or two more days. All late to start the game of incubation will be abandoned.

Typically and what happens in nature the bird sits on the entire clutch at once. Eggs are collected and when she feels there is enough sits to start incubating. You can do this by collecting the eggs, not leaving any under the broody until you have the amount you want to put under her. Put all under at same time. It's that easy. If you mark the eggs set with pencil or what have you you will easily tell what eggs were added by other birds or the broody and can take them away for eating daily.

 

[NHgirl]

Ooops!! Also.... wildchick... I had some of these questions as well. My momma hen, a large NHRed, is currently sitting on 7 bantam eggs. On Father's day, she hatched the very first chick hatched naturally under a hen in my little city farm (she was sitting on 2)!! It was soooo exciting!! I've hatched with an incubator, raised store bought one-day-olds, but THIS was AWESOME!! I was so excited!! I put a few more eggs under her the next day to see how it would go (the current 7). I discovered through candling that only 1 is viable. But I'll take it!! But I am noticing that bc she has to be on the eggs, she's not out and about with the little chick much. I would think that she normally would be outside with her. So...I'm also wondering about how often the mom should have new eggs to sit on.. hmmmmm.... Oh - and my momma doesn't lay eggs while she's sitting on eggs.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You wouldn't have any eggs under her after the first batch hatches. She needs to care for the chicks and sitting on eggs for two months is very unhealthy for her. Surprised she is still sitting at all. Are you sure she's still broody? Very odd behavior and very unhealthy for her.

 

[NHgirl]

You wouldn't have any eggs under her after the first batch hatches. She needs to care for the chicks and sitting on eggs for two months is very unhealthy for her. Surprised she is still sitting at all. Are you sure she's still broody? Very odd behavior and very unhealthy for her.

Oh boy!! My poor girl!! What should I do? She has one viable egg under her. She has one week left. I tried getting her out of the nesting box today, but no go. She came out when I put the baby down on the ground but as soon as I had her again, she went back in.

Please help!!

 

[wild chick]

No you don't want to keep adding eggs nor do you want the broody to collect eggs on her own. Or let other layers add eggs to the clutch. These are not things you want to happen as it's a waste of eggs. When the broody is sitting on eggs they are incubating, any eggs added later will be behind the timeline. Once the first chick hatches the broody will only stay on the nest for one or two more days. All late to start the game of incubation will be abandoned.

Typically and what happens in nature the bird sits on the entire clutch at once. Eggs are collected and when she feels there is enough sits to start incubating. You can do this by collecting the eggs, not leaving any under the broody until you have the amount you want to put under her. Put all under at same time. It's that easy. If you mark the eggs set with pencil or what have you you will easily tell what eggs were added by other birds or the broody and can take them away for eating daily.

That's the answer that I was looking for! I thought if the broody was still laying then the Incubation Time hadn't started. But she isn't moving from the nest, so I think incubation HAS started. I was trying to figure out how to add more but let her keep her natural way of doing things. I'm still in the learning stage and this is very helpful. I was afraid she'd break her broodiness if I didn't let her keep some. So next time just put fake eggs under her to keep her broody & collect what I want for a few days and put them under her & take away the fakes?

Thank you!!!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You could use fake eggs or just keep taking the eggs laid in her nest from her each day until you have enough then mark them and put all under her at once.

Sure a bird starting to brood can break easy but in my experience if they are allowed to brood for two or three days (keep taking eggs from them every day) they are in it for the long haul. Only keeping them from a nesting area, three or four days forced from ability to nest, will break them from the brooding hormonal state.