Ideal number of eggs to leave beneath a broody?

[amiachicknorwat]

Got one sitting firm already this spring (it's been a cold spring, at night, anyway). Tomorrow when i feed them she'll likely come off to eat and then I can see how many in her pile. OFC, it's different for a Bantam, but an optimum for pile size of chickens large and small would be appreciated? Then i can screen them off from the others so more eggs don't get added. Plus broody doesn't get bothered. Please let me know if this is right thinking cuz I know i dunno much about this.

 

[Abigail Joanna]

The average in a starting clutch is 12 eggs. Good success!

 

[aart]

Got one sitting firm already this spring (it's been a cold spring, at night, anyway). Tomorrow when i feed them she'll likely come off to eat and then I can see how many in her pile. OFC, it's different for a Bantam, but an optimum for pile size of chickens large and small would be appreciated? Then i can screen them off from the others so more eggs don't get added. Plus broody doesn't get bothered. Please let me know if this is right thinking cuz I know i dunno much about this.

Number of eggs is how many she can comfortably keep totally covered.

How long has she been sitting?
You should check what's under her daily, get her used to looking underneath her.
She might bite at first and squawk always, but it can be done and should be done.


When I have a broody I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.

Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day.
Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.

I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Eggs come in different sizes. Hens come in different sizes. Some smaller hens lay larger eggs. Some larger hens lay relatively small eggs. Some nests are shaped differently. A hen needs to be able to comfortably cover all her eggs. A small bantam might be stretched with four regular-sized eggs. I had a hen hide a nest and bring off 18 chicks. I never did find that nest so I have no idea how many eggs she started with but she managed at least 18.

I let my hens hatch with the flock, marking the eggs and checking under her daily after the others have laid to remove any that don't belong. So I leave a little extra room under her in case new eggs temporarily show up. If you are going to isolate her you don't have to worry about that. Time of year factors into my thinking. Chicks grow pretty quickly. If the weather is still going to be cold a couple of weeks after she hatches I'll start fewer eggs. In the heat of summer that doesn't matter, I've seen chicks sleeping uncovered, just next to the hen.

With all that said I typically give my hens 12 eggs of the size the flock lays, avoiding very small or very large eggs. But there have been times I cut back to 10 even in the heat of summer, she just didn't look like she could cover them all if a couple more got laid with her. In colder weather I've started with 8.