Incubate? Plz help!

[brokenhobble]

My experience with a broody hen is your chicks will grow to be stronger than ones you raise. Plus its pretty awesome thing to watch a mother hen take her young and teach them everything. She will sleep with them on the ground and on top of them until they are old enough to roost and strong enough to survive the cold. The incubation is a fun way of doing it and the kids love it but letting mother nature do it is a very fun thing to watch. Another thing with letting a broody hen hatch eggs, Ive had much more success isolating that broody hen and giving her her own space, she wont need much, when she is sitting on eggs she will get off for about an hour a day, you will see her running frantically to eat and hurry back to the nest of her eggs; with that said locking her up to be by herself Ive had success and after she hatches she will bring the chicks with the others when she feels they are ready. (and obviously locking her up you just have to give her her own supply of food and water and don't worry if it looks like she isn't eating or drinking she is getting enough to survive. that's my personal opinion, hope it helps and enjoy. oh one last thing with letting your hen sit on the eggs, especially being winter time make sure you don't put to many eggs under your bird that she cant fully cover all the eggs.

 

[AmericanMom]

I would set some in the incubator and set some with the broody...Then you can judge for yourself who is more reliable, give her three or four eggs and see what happens, I mean she is already broody so why not?

I've done it both ways, way more fun to watch a Momma caring for her brood but since I don't have a broody got 21 eggs in the incubator set to hatch in 5 days

 

[SilverDuck284]

I would set some in the incubator and set some with the broody...Then you can judge for yourself who is more reliable, give her three or four eggs and see what happens, I mean she is already broody so why not?

I've done it both ways, way more fun to watch a Momma caring for her brood but since I don't have a broody got 21 eggs in the incubator set to hatch in 5 days

That's what I was gonna say, why not do both!

Edit to add: I have a mini mealworm farm. They are super easy to keep, if you're not squeamish.

 

[backyardflock1]

Thanks for the replies every one!

. I just washed and disinfected the incubator, and everything's drying now. With the broody hen she was sitting on the eggs but only for a short time before I came in; apparently you should let it sit on fake eggs for at least 3 days to see if she is actually broody. The safer bet is the incubator, but I only have 2 hens, so I don't know which one is laying the fertile eggs, but if the max storage time is 6 days, I will have about 6 eggs. Also another option I've heard people do is just put the egg in whenever it is laid so you get a chick every/ every other day, is this a good option? and AmericanMom, good luck on the hatch! I would hatch more but my coop is only built for around 8 chickens. I wish I had a bigger one

. Any good brands of coops available that can hold a lot? Thanks

 

[backyardflock1]

I might be able to order some fertile eggs and incubate those and leave the fertile eggs with the hen; the only problem is I don't have the space to separate the broody hen in the coop. Where would I put her?

 

[bittychicks]

I don't know if I would add an egg everyday as they are layed, because then its going to be hard to turn the newer ones when the other ones have to go into lock down. With the broody hen you could make a nest for her in a dog crate and put her in there with food and water, so the other hen wouldn't bother her. I'm confused by "I don't know which one is laying the fertile eggs." Do you have a rooster with them? If you do both will lay fertile eggs if you don't have a rooster then none of the eggs will be fertile.

 

[backyardflock1]

I have a rooster and two hens. I don't know if the rooster has "done the deed" with both or only one of them.

 

[backyardflock1]

will they eat mealworms that are live and dead/dried? Are they picky about it

 

[bittychicks]

They love them either way! The rooster is most likely mating with both hens so all the eggs are probably fertile.

 

[backyardflock1]

Would I have the dog cage with the hen inside in the house? Because there isn't enough room in the coop. Thanks