I'm unprepared for this! What do I do!?

[Anthony-Smith]

Hey all!

So I have a Hen (Easter Egger) that has had her eggs fertilized and she is sitting on them!! Unfortunately, I found out that they were fertilized by cracking two open for breakfast this morning. She may have had more fertilized, but long story short the eggs broke in transportation to the fridge :'(
So, I checked it out today, and put a flashlight under two of her other eggs, and saw veins!!

I'm really excited! She wasn't sitting on them however, as she was in another nesting box!! It may have upset her when I removed the other eggs. I'm hoping she sits on them again.

What do I do? Do I need to build her a separate nest and put her in there on top of her eggs? Just let them be where they are? Other hens will try and sit in there with her sometimes.

Also, what do you get when you cross a Barred Plymouth Rock and a Easter Egger (Green eggs)? Any idea what the chicken will look like?


Thanks!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Hey all!

So I have a Hen (Easter Egger) that has had her eggs fertilized and she is sitting on them!! Unfortunately, I found out that they were fertilized by cracking two open for breakfast this morning. She may have had more fertilized, but long story short the eggs broke in transportation to the fridge :'(
So, I checked it out today, and put a flashlight under two of her other eggs, and saw veins!!

I'm really excited! She wasn't sitting on them however, as she was in another nesting box!! It may have upset her when I removed the other eggs. I'm hoping she sits on them again.

What do I do? Do I need to build her a separate nest and put her in there on top of her eggs? Just let them be where they are? Other hens will try and sit in there with her sometimes.

Also, what do you get when you cross a Barred Plymouth Rock and a Easter Egger (Green eggs)? Any idea what the chicken will look like?


Thanks!!

If it hasn’t been too long put her back on the eggs. But know if she is a first time setter they may not hatch. First timers lack the dedication needed many times.

An EE has no special look, so asking us to guess on looks of the chicks is throwing a dart into the air.

The eggs should be greenish olive.

 

[Anthony-Smith]

If it hasn’t been too long put her back on the eggs. But know if she is a first time setter they may not hatch. First timers lack the dedication needed many times.

An EE has no special look, so asking us to guess on looks of the chicks is throwing a dart into the air.

The eggs should be greenish olive.

So you don't think that I need to build a separate broody box for her that's away from the other common nesting boxes that all the hens use?

 

[elisabeth_]

Hello, congrats on your first momma!
Yes you will need to separate her from the others, or the hens will continue pushing her off and laying eggs in her nest.
A little warning though, there is the chance that she will break her broodiness, but it is best for her and the chicks if she is moved.
Good luck!

 

[elisabeth_]

So you don't think that I need to build a separate broody box for her that's away from the other common nesting boxes that all the hens use?

It’s better if you give her her very own place, not just a nest box that is a little bit away. She will try to go back to her original nest.
And night time would be best time to move her, since chances of her getting up are smaller.
For now just make sure she gets back on those eggs ASAP, and that the other hens don’t get into her nest until you can move her.
Try not to stress about it too much, and I hope everything goes well!

 

[elisabeth_]

Also (sorry for spamming you with messages lol) but I found a picture of someone’s barred rock/ EE cross on here, though I have never owned one myself, and it looks something like this..

 

[duluthralphie]

I have found moving a broodie does not always work.
Especially the young first timers. They lose interest so easy.

Depending on your coop, and if it’s possible I would try to leave her in the box she chose and separate her some how.

kind of sheltering in place.

If you have other hens with her, you do know the odds of the eggs only being hers are pretty slim.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This is not a direct answer to your question, but something you should do. Mark the eggs you want her to hatch in some way, and remove all other eggs daily. You want the eggs to hatch all at the same time because once she has chicks she will abandon any remaining eggs. If you always gather eggs daily you should not find veins in your breakfast.

 

[Anthony-Smith]

Also (sorry for spamming you with messages lol) but I found a picture of someone’s barred rock/ EE cross on here, though I have never owned one myself, and it looks something like this..
View attachment 2151818

Don't be sorry! Its all really helpful! Unfortunately I am at work right now, so I cant put her back on them if she is off

And I cant say that't the prettiest bird of all time, lol, but I'm sure it lays eggs! lol. Thanks for finding that for me!! I appreciate it!

 

[Anthony-Smith]

I have found moving a broodie does not always work.
Especially the young first timers. They lose interest so easy.

Depending on your coop, and if it’s possible I would try to leave her in the box she chose and separate her some how.

kind of sheltering in place.

If you have other hens with her, you do know the odds of the eggs only being hers are pretty slim.

I hear ya! And yeah, there are definitely other hens. Normally I gather the eggs every day or every other day. This time it was a few days. Got super busy and they are not actually living where I am staying right now (they are at a new house that I am renovating).

That brings me to another question. If they JUST laid an egg, would I be able to tell if it was fertilized if I cracked it open the next day? What if the egg was two days old and I cracked it the day after that?

The reason I ask is because I was wondering lately if my rooster was even fertile. He is about a year and a half old and these were the first identifiable federalized eggs. Im thinking that maybe I should let the eggs be sat on for a few days to tell if they are fertile before I just remove them?