How many eggs for one hen!

[Heartsopenwide]

How many eggs have you had a single hen successfully hatch?

I have three broody girls and no rooster. I bought some BCM hatchling eggs and moved the girls to a new coop (bad experience hatching in the main coop). One one of the three broody girls will sit on the 17 eggs...the other two just angry broody cluck while walking around puffed up. They only go in the nesting box at bedtime. It has been two whole days.

Any chance the other two will finally sit? The girl sitting is a Cuckoo Maran and is currently able to get at 17 under her. I am reading over 10 and the hatch rate goes down, but also reading 15 is a "clutch"...

 

[nuthatched]

9-10 is the right amount for your average size hen

 

[Heartsopenwide]

Luckily two other hens decided to go broody too. But we are down two 10 eggs. They keep nest swapping...

 

[Kiki]

View attachment 3526906
Luckily two other hens decided to go broody too. But we are down two 10 eggs. They keep nest swapping...

Is that redness a heat lamp on them?

 

[Heartsopenwide]

Just at night and in the early morning. We have had a cold spring...and pretty sure summer is going to be late. It us in the 40s at night and they are outside in my covered chicken tractor I use for meat birds.

Is that redness a heat lamp on them?

 

[Kiki]

Just at night and in the early morning. We have had a cold spring...and pretty sure summer is going to be late. It us in the 40s at night and they are outside in my covered chicken tractor I use for meat birds.

Oh my. I'd leave it off. That isn't cold enough for heat directly on broodies.

 

[Heartsopenwide]

Oh my. I'd leave it off. That isn't cold enough for heat directly on broodies.

I plan to tonight. Last night was the first time she had roommates. She was alone for over a week when two others stopped being broody...

 

[SueT]

Just at night and in the early morning. We have had a cold spring...and pretty sure summer is going to be late. It us in the 40s at night and they are outside in my covered chicken tractor I use for meat birds.

Adult chickens do NOT need a heat lamp. Even if it’s freezing. Even baby chicks if with their mamas can take 40º nights, or even days for that matter.

 

[Kiki]

I plan to tonight. Last night was the first time she had roommates. She was alone for over a week when two others stopped being broody...

You are going to kill them with that heat lamp.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I'm sorry you only have 10 eggs left, but that is the perfect number for your cuckoo Marans. A few years ago, I had a friend who's buff Orpington went broody. My friend had no rooster and wanted her hen to hatch chicks. I told her that her hen should be able to cover a maximum of 12 eggs. She bought 4 dozen eggs total from me, and said she would select the eggs she wanted to give her broody, and her family would eat the rest. She ended up stuffing 16 eggs under her hen. For several reasons, not one egg hatched sucessfully. (I know for a fact the eggs were fertile, because i was experiencing an ongoing 90-100% hatch rate with my broody hens.)

A broody hen needs to be able to rotate and turn her eggs often to keep the embryo developing properly. (The egg turner in an artificial incubator mimics the natural behavior of a broody hen.) Excess eggs can be pushed aside, grow cold and die, and when a broody tries to turn her eggs, she may bring a dead, cold egg back underneath her, but then other eggs may be pushed aside and grow cold. Also, a broody can accidently step on and crush an excess number of eggs as she exits and re-enters the nest box. It's not impossible for a large fowl broody hen to incubate 17 eggs, but very difficult, especially unless the eggs are small.

Re using heat lamps in cold weather, you may feel those of us who live in sunny Texas aren't qualified to advise those who live in cold climates, and for that reason I usually remain silent. But many BYC members who live in climates even colder than yours don't heat their coops, and report that their chickens do just fine.

If your broody(s) began incubating the eggs on May 14, they are due to hatch this coming Sunday. Did you ever candle to check for development? If not, leave them alone now. When people place eggs in an artificial incubator, the eggs go into lock-down on day 18. Again, that mimics the natural behavior of a broody hen, because 3 days before hatch, she stops turning her eggs. Good luck with your hatch; I hope that in a couple of days you have ten cute BCM's chicks!