How many eggs can a broody *have* ?

[kimb]

I'm looking into getting some fertile eggs for my broody hen

(she's a bantam cochin x silkie) ... how many eggs should/can she safely set on and hatch?

I want to make sure I have good odds with hatching some chicks (I have pretty poor luck), but I also want to make sure that I don't give her too many that I'm actually the cause of some of them not hatching ...

So how many bantam eggs (d'uccles & cochin) could I safely, in good conscious put under her?

Thank you

 

[zowieyellowflame]

I have a small standard type chicken and I could only fit 7 regular eggs under her. If I tried for 8, one would pop right out the other side!

 

[Illia]

Not sure on banties, but I've seen people shove far over 12 eggs under an LF hen.

 

[Cackling Hen]

Quote:
Under my bantam girls I can fit 7 I had my Jap hatch out 9 though but more than 7 and yep pops right out from under her

 

[kimb]

maybe I'll get some golf balls and see how many she can sit on ? would that be a semi-effective measuring system?

... the eggs are actually smaller than a golf ball (d'uccle eggs are probably no more than 1/2 a golf ball, the cochin eggs a tad bigger) ...

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Most of my incubating is done by my hens--Silkies of course--but I also have 1 bantam Cochin who does an excellent job. Under my Silkies, I usually have 9 eggs....the bantam usually will sit on 11. I've had pretty good success with this rate.
Good luck

 

[racuda]

I started with 14 eggs under my bantam cochin and after a week candled them. Two were not developing, so now she has an even dozen.

She has an amazing ability to flatten herself out.

 

[kimb]

Thanks Racuda & BCSilkies ...

I was planning on getting a dozen (they're sold in dozen or half quantities) ...

so that's a little reassuring