Incubating remaining eggs from broody hen -- need advice!

[Breezy_Living]

This is the 2nd time this year that our broody Brown Cochin has hatched eggs. We've been letting her sit on some eggs that we didn't collect... just because. (We have plenty of eggs for our own needs!) Last time she hatched eggs -- about 3 months ago -- she hatched 4 out of 7/8 eggs and no longer had any interest in the other eggs. We were too busy with a new human baby ourselves so I didn't have time to focus on the other eggs, but a week later we disposed of the eggs which did have chicks in them.

They just started hatching yesterday evening and we definitely want to incubate any eggs that she doesn't continue to sit on (if that happens again).

I have a red heat lamp and an egg crate..... HELP! Is this good enough as an incubator during the last day(s) and do I need to turn the eggs or anything like that?

 

[bobbi-j]

I think they need more consistent heat and humidity than can be provided with a heat lamp, but I've never tried it so I can't say for sure it won't work. She will take her chicks off the nest soon, because she will figure they are duds. One option might be to take the chicks that have already hatched and see if she will continue setting on the others.

 

[Breezy_Living]

Ah, that makes sense about thinking they're duds. These eggs are not all laid by her, but she/s the only broody one so we relocated the other layers and just let her sit on these eggs.

When she left the nest during the last hatch, some of these eggs were only a day or so away from hatching. If she provided most of the "work" (the perfect balance to promote hatching) and I supplemented during the last day, has that ever been successful? I would be reintroducing the chicks back to her overnight in hopes of her adopting them.

 

[bobbi-j]

As far as I know, chickens don't know how to count, so if you leave her latest-hatching ones under her and slip the others back in at night... One can never guess what an animal will do, but I would think it should work. Hopefully if anyone has experience doing this, they will chime in. I'll be waiting to hear how it turns out for you! Oh, and congrats on the new human baby!

 

[CocoPopz]

Im new to this, I've hatched only to batches via incubator, but yes what you are saying is doable! Yeah in the last few days that should be fine, do you have a thermometer? I do say I have experience hatching 1 egg that my hen left with a heat lamp, I had a feeling something was in there, I separate my tortoise tank made a nest under heat lamp, wet a sponge to give the area humidity also a dish of water under the nest also
For high humidity levels, kept my temp around 37-38 , didn't know how high my humidity was but I always topped it up, I don't have much hope but surprisingly in two days the little one hatched! So this is doable with a heat lamp and a sponge! Just wouldn't recommend it for a full term hatch as it probably wouldn't work

 

[CocoPopz]

Also do not turn the eggs as the hen would of topped turning on DAY 18 so they an position themselves for the hatch!

 

[CocoPopz]

Stopped*

 

[CocoPopz]

Oh and also, with the humidity levels probably being lower than usual in the last few days of hatching, try full the bowl with warm water so it gets around faster, but when the hatch comes, it might take longer to hatch than usual when it has externally pipped, and in the end you might even have to help the little thing out, this is not advisable but web you have to you have to, you'll know when the membrane is to dry or it to escape the shell! But saying this, it could be a normal hatch good luck!

 

[CocoPopz]

For it*

 

[Breezy_Living]

I'm happy to report that 7 chicks have hatched but she's still sitting on more. We have food & water set nearby (separate from the rest of the flock) for her and the babies.

I'm guessing that, because they're not all hatching at the exact same time, that she's "realizing" they're not duds. That she has to continue to sit and more will hatch.
Perhaps this is my own projection but now as this is her second hatching, maybe she's more experienced?