How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[karenerwin]

I'm totally seeing that already - even my 2 silkies were just so different. I just feel a bit sorry for her, she is so big adn I'm sure she didn't mean to - she is just young and inexperienced so I just want to help her so that she can be a good mama in the future (and hopefully for this hatch too) as she is a lovely gentle hen and I think she'll be a lovely mum.
What would you guys do? I'm thinking to give her some more plaster eggs and see how she goes then decide if I give her back some or all of the eggs with 'bator on standby!

You could wait until day 20 and then give her back some or all of the eggs to hatch. However, if this is her first batch, make sure you check on the chicks after they hatch. I have had a broody or 2 that freaked out when the eggs hatched and she kept tossing the babies out from under her. A couple died before I found them (cold) others I brought in and warmed up until they were nice and fluffy. If my memory is correct, I believe 1 broody took to the fluffy chicks when they were returned to her (snuck them under her) and the other broody wanted nothing to do with chicks, she just wanted to sit on eggs.
Also, a bad Momma the first time isn't always a bad Momma the 2nd time, however, in my experience, if they are bad Mommas twice, they never get the hang of it. So I either get rid of them or they don't get to stay broody.

 

[karenerwin]

Left for Jamaica 2 weeks ago leaving behind 3 broody chickens that should be hatching shortly after I got back. Came home late this past Tuesday night. I have 6 broody hens! The one that has been broody the longest has no chicks, but had broken open several eggs and her nestbox was a stinky mess!! Went out last night and candled all 16 eggs that she was sitting on. Took all but 4 and put them in the incubator. The other broody in that same coop was sitting on a lot of eggs too. I left her with 5 eggs. Tried to pick the ones that looked closest to hatch. Put the rest in the incubator.
In the big coop, 1 broody has 1 chick and is still sitting on eggs. There are 3 other nests full of eggs. Last night at lock up all were occupied by hens. I haven't candled those yet.

With all that said and done, I think I got 5 eggs yesterday ( that I knew had started growing yet).

 

[PouleChick]

Yup, Henneth has been laying only about a month.

ooowwww that would have hurt! Looks like you have another double yocker! Are they Araucana eggs? I think I said my Matilda did the same the first couple of months laying we were getting up to a couple a week of these huge dino eggs!

I have 6 broody hens!

Oh dear

You could wait until day 20 and then give her back some or all of the eggs to hatch. However, if this is her first batch, make sure you check on the chicks after they hatch

I ended up doing a very successful split batch - she had 3 under her and I had 5 in the incubator, 2 were born at exactly the same time while we were having dinner (1 to me one to her) and she was fine so I waited until the 2nd chick I thought was alive in the incubator was born next day and popped them both successfully under her, followed by a 3rd the next day - she successfully hatched all 3 of hers as well (so total of 6 - 3 Vorwerks, 2 Marans and a bantam pekin) and she is an amazing mummy - so gentle but fierce and protective of them (but not to me at all). It was stressful but I have learnt some lessons -

• I won't put smaller eggs under her (keep them for the silkies!) as she is a big bird and crushed one (which I successfully hatched a couple of days later) accidentally.
• That I really need to insist on moving elsewhere and locking them up (even if it means breaking the broodiness) if hens are in a bad place as I'm sure our losses were partly due to the nest issues with her tipping some out.

Eek must go check for eggs - Hermione the Warrior silkie was in the nest earlier!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have the dirty dozen marans eggs under 4 Silky due in the 2 or 3 of July
doing some last minute shopping today BF and I both have down with the
summer cold pretty rough knocked the wind from our sails pretty bad think the worst is gone.. good to see you back @karenerwin hope you enjoyed the trip

 

[bruceha2000]

Yup, Henneth has been laying only about a month.

Still working out the process.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have several young birds about bough 5 cuckoo Marans one drowned itself in my water buckets didn't think they could 4 Barred Rock close to point of lay was hoping to bring back daily layers as God love the others they are not... have one black copper marans from a members egg had 5 the other 4 not smart crawled from Mom Silky getting cold and died... Grabbed it brought it back in to brooder but was lonely went to local feed store for chicken food brought home 2 pullet they call them ameracauna I call them EE little marans has friends the 4 from the breeder all cuckoo marans a month behind the BR... Many not ready to lay grower use through the roof ... birds in Silky land cm 2nd room .. Silky on 12 more from Washington state member he lives on the east side of the state me on the west their mother is over here they meet us 21 miles from our home so win, win what a great guy he is no charge for any of them.. he brought 7 cockerel for us to take to the auction house here We met him Monday auction is Saturday's drop of Friday so we have become good friends

 

[Cryss]

1out of 4.

 

[snow5164]

And one silkie egg I found in the run... it’s a good day for egg sales

 

[Cryss]

ooowwww that would have hurt! Looks like you have another double yocker! Are they Araucana eggs? I think I said my Matilda did the same the first couple of months laying we were getting up to a couple a week of these huge dino eggs!

Oh dear

I ended up doing a very successful split batch - she had 3 under her and I had 5 in the incubator, 2 were born at exactly the same time while we were having dinner (1 to me one to her) and she was fine so I waited until the 2nd chick I thought was alive in the incubator was born next day and popped them both successfully under her, followed by a 3rd the next day - she successfully hatched all 3 of hers as well (so total of 6 - 3 Vorwerks, 2 Marans and a bantam pekin) and she is an amazing mummy - so gentle but fierce and protective of them (but not to me at all). It was stressful but I have learnt some lessons -

• I won't put smaller eggs under her (keep them for the silkies!) as she is a big bird and crushed one (which I successfully hatched a couple of days later) accidentally.
• That I really need to insist on moving elsewhere and locking them up (even if it means breaking the broodiness) if hens are in a bad place as I'm sure our losses were partly due to the nest issues with her tipping some out.

Eek must go check for eggs - Hermione the Warrior silkie was in the nest earlier!

No, not Aracauna. Shes an Easter Egger.

 

[Spartan22]

I ended up doing a very successful split batch - she had 3 under her and I had 5 in the incubator, 2 were born at exactly the same time while we were having dinner (1 to me one to her) and she was fine so I waited until the 2nd chick I thought was alive in the incubator was born next day and popped them both successfully under her, followed by a 3rd the next day - she successfully hatched all 3 of hers as well (so total of 6 - 3 Vorwerks, 2 Marans and a bantam pekin) and she is an amazing mummy - so gentle but fierce and protective of them (but not to me at all). It was stressful but I have learnt some lessons -

• I won't put smaller eggs under her (keep them for the silkies!) as she is a big bird and crushed one (which I successfully hatched a couple of days later) accidentally.
• That I really need to insist on moving elsewhere and locking them up (even if it means breaking the broodiness) if hens are in a bad place as I'm sure our losses were partly due to the nest issues with her tipping some out.

This past few weeks were learning curve for me too about broodies, hatching, weaning, broody & chicks integration and safety. It’s been a lot of work for me since I built 4 temporary broody compartments with functional doors under the poop boards in such hurry. I would say stressful? I guess due my inexperience with broody hens though very experience in raising day old chicks for 5 yrs without losing a single one.

Timing were very essential for the survival of newly hatched in the same coop with over 20 other active layers fighting for 8 nesting boxes when they have 14 all together. I had had 6 hens went broody this spring, 4 had hatched two to 3 each and some babies beacame casualties of hen fights. After intervening early enough to separate hens and eggs before they hatch, one of the broody successfully hatch 5 chicks out of 7 eggs she’s sitting on yesterday with much less tensions.

By the way 26 Eggs Today.