How many days can she gather eggs and still hatch them?

[Penny spender]

Peach has decided she wants to be a Mommy. Shes currently sitting on 4 eggs from yesterday. I should get 3-4 new eggs from my other hens today and 3-4 new eggs tomorrow. If I give these eggs from the next 2 days to Peach, will they all hatch at the same time, or would she abandon eggs once the first few hatch?

 

[ashlierami]

Peach has decided she wants to be a Mommy. Shes currently sitting on 4 eggs from yesterday. I should get 3-4 new eggs from my other hens today and 3-4 new eggs tomorrow. If I give these eggs from the next 2 days to Peach, will they all hatch at the same time, or would she abandon eggs once the first few hatch?

It really depends on the hen. In my experience the hens I have waited for all the eggs to hatch. Sometimes this took a course of 3 days before all were hatched. This was due to me collecting eggs a day or 2 after the ones she already had and putting them under her. Some hens will stay on the ones that done even hatch and some leave once a few are hatched. I wouldn't give her anymore eggs after tomorrow. This will put the chicks about 3 days apart from the first batch and she may not wait for them any longer than 3 days. Plus you have to account for them if they end up being late so that could add another day or 2. This is just what I did you do whatever you feel is best, when my bcm hatched her chicks they were 3 days apart. When the first hatched she kept it close and under her . On day 2 the chick was ready to come out and explore and didn't want to wait on mom anymore. So I moved her to a brooder set up I have. I out food and water near mama and she showed the chick how to eat and drink. Then he could get back under her and come out when he wanted while the other eggs were hatching. I did this with all 3 of my hens that went broody this year. It never seemed to be a problem for me. I think chicks can be alright without food for up to 3 days but they do get curious and stronger on day 2 and 3 and mine always wanted to come out but they couldn't do so on the nest mama was in.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The eggs need to all be started at the same time. You might get away with giving her today's eggs but no way would I give her tomorrow's eggs. The chicks absorb the yolk before they hatch so they can go 72 hours or more without eating or drinking, waiting on the late eggs to hatch, but all eggs don't hatch at exactly 21 days. Individual eggs can be one or two days early or later than others. That 72 hours is sometimes needed even when the eggs are started at the same time. The more you spread that start time for incubation out for different eggs the more of a risk you take.

The way I manage a broody is to gather all the eggs every day (as long as you collect them daily they are still good to use) until I have all the eggs i want her to have. One of my requirements before I give a broody eggs is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of roosting in her normal space. I've had some quit after one night. That gives me the time to collect all the eggs I want. I keep a golf ball in the nest, that's plenty to keep them setting on the nest. I'm not sure you even need anything a good broody is so dedicated. You could mark those first four eggs and treat them as sacrificial, to be replaced with real hatching eggs after you have enough.

I mark the real hatching eggs with a black Sharpie and start them all at he same time. Then I check under her every day after the others have laid and remove any unmarked eggs.

Good luck!

 

[Trish1974]

The way I manage a broody is to gather all the eggs every day (as long as you collect them daily they are still good to use) until I have all the eggs i want her to have.

How do you keep/store these eggs? Do they have to be at a certain temp or humidity?

 

[chickens really]

Hello..You can collect eggs two days in a row..I always do. As long as they hatch out within a 24 to 36 hour time frame Momma will wait..

 

[Ridgerunner]

How do you keep/store these eggs? Do they have to be at a certain temp or humidity?

If you store hatching eggs at ideal conditions they will normally stay viable for about two weeks. The ideal conditions are around 55 Fahrenheit and high humidity. After the first few days they should be turned a few times each day. You do not want them to suffer temperature swings, from warm to cool and back. Keep them out of drafts from AC vents and out of direct sunshine through a window. Store them laying on their side or pointy side down so the air cell stays in the round end.

Very few of us have idea conditions, I certainly do not. I store mine in a spare bedroom with the temperature somewhere in the 70's. Humidity can be fairly low, especially when the heat is going. AC can dry it out too. Under these conditions I generally get really good hatches after storing some for a week.

 

[Trish1974]

If you store hatching eggs at ideal conditions they will normally stay viable for about two weeks. The ideal conditions are around 55 Fahrenheit and high humidity. After the first few days they should be turned a few times each day. You do not want them to suffer temperature swings, from warm to cool and back. Keep them out of drafts from AC vents and out of direct sunshine through a window. Store them laying on their side or pointy side down so the air cell stays in the round end.

Very few of us have idea conditions, I certainly do not. I store mine in a spare bedroom with the temperature somewhere in the 70's. Humidity can be fairly low, especially when the heat is going. AC can dry it out too. Under these conditions I generally get really good hatches after storing some for a week.

VERY informative! Thank you so much, RR.

 

[chickens really]

How I store eggs. I keep in cartons and tilt up on a book pointy end down in a cool room and tilt the opposite way every 24 hours..I store eggs up to 10 days before incubation..I lay all eggs on a towel on the counter for about 6 hours before putting them in my incubator. I don't turn them til the next day and then turn 3 times daily till the last week. Then I turn them 2 times daily till Lockdown.