I have eggs in the bator and hen went broody...

[Hobbley_Farm]

can I take the eggs from the bator now and put them under the hen? She's been trying to hatch out a softball. It sure would be nice to take them out of the bator and let her do the work. What do you think? It's an outside nesting box but my husband and I would move it into the (nearly) finished chicken house. It's just not fenced in...but since she won't be really getting off to do anything other than eat and drink, I thought it might work. Plus her water wouldn't freeze. What do you think?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

That's kinda what we did with our buff orp that was always broody and it worked like a charm:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/hatching-chicks-from-eggs.php

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

Fantastic! Unless someone else posts with dire predictions...My husband and I will move the whole nesting box into the coop tomorrow

It will be wonderful to see her hatch these out. They are due to hatch out around the same time as my order from Ideal is arriving. My plan was to put the chicks all together. Will I still be able to do that with the mom or no?

 

[shelleyd2008]

How long has she been brooding the ball? And how long have the eggs been in the bator? I have heard that they might reject them if they haven't been broody long enough, though I don't know for sure. I have been llucky enough so far to have broodies with plenty of eggs, and bator babies that hatch about the same time as broody's babies! You shouldn't have any problem with her taking the chicks. Just make sure you put them under her at night and get up early to watch her the next morning. I did that with all my hens, and only one rejected the add-ons. Unfortunately I didn't get up early enough to watch her, and 2 of the babies died.

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

She's been trying to hatch out the softball for about 3 days now. I put two fresh laid eggs under her yesterday. I actually think I won't put ALL my eggs in one basket (pardon the pun...but it was intended

) I might keep a few in the bator. But put half or so under her. The two that I already put under her I'm just going to put in the fridge lol It was only yesterday evening that I put them under her and they were yesterdays eggs. I'm excited now.

 

[austinhart123]

i put chicken eggs under a hen and she hatched them, and ive noticed that hens love to adopt chicks during the time while there eggs are just beginning to hatch or put them under her at night, if there enough in the bator for her to be able to cover, i would put them all under her