How long to wait

[Svh1988]

I've got a hen sitting on 12 egg my question is..as soon as I c the baby's born how long should i leave mom in the nest before I take em all out..or what hatches? Also would it b better if I let mom raise em or take them away and raise em on my own?

 

[Sylie]

I've got a hen sitting on 12 egg my question is..as soon as I c the baby's born how long should i leave mom in the nest before I take em all out..or what hatches? Also would it b better if I let mom raise em or take them away and raise em on my own?

Just let momma take care of everything, she will leave the nest when she feels no more are going to hatch, then you can remove the ones that didn't hatch. It's almost* always the best idea just to let momma raise them. She knows exactly what to do and you get to sit back and watch the little guys while she does the work

 

[dunnmom]

I just asked a similar question. My broody just hatched 8 out of 12. It's day 22, and she can't seem to make up her mind about whether she wants the last eggs. I was advised to either candle the unhatched eggs, or go ahead and remove them tomorrow. I might see if I can sneak in a candling, but since I don't want to disturb mom and babies, I'll probably wait until tomorrow night to candle and remove. However, I read about a float test you can do on overdue eggs, but no idea if it really works.

 

[HuskerHens18]

I never trusted my broodies, they were terrible mothers. I lost too many chicks.
Now I remove a chick every time a new one hatches. Then they're safe with me and I can monitor everything.

If you're home a lot, I'd say YOU should raise them.
If you're gone a lot, I'd let the broody do it.