Incubator to Broody Hen (Egg or the Chicks)

[ichoudhury]

I have some eggs in my 1588 Genesis Incubator since March 14th and recent candling showed some great hopes. I want these chicks to be raised by a broody hen I have (Orpington) who's been sitting in the nest box for almost 3-4 weeks.

-I plan to relocate her to a nest which would be suitable for Mother Hen and her chicks. So I will move her tomorrow night with two eggs that I left with her to sit on. She is a bantam and other chicken often drives her away, so I don't think there's any hope for those couple of eggs. In fact, that is the reason, I'm not comfortable placing the eggs from the incubator under her now. Instead, I was hopping to let the eggs hatch out in the incubator, and place the chicks when its dark. Should I do that or just secure her on the new nest box and put those eggs from the incubator for her to finish up the process?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’d give her the eggs and let her hatch them. Make sure she has accepted the new nest before you give her the eggs though. She’d probably accept the chicks too if you do it at night right after they hatch, but her hatching the eggs is a better bet.

Something else I’d do first though is candle the eggs she’s on if you can see in them. Dark brown or green eggs can be pretty hard to see inside sometimes. Broodies have been hatching chicks with the flock for thousands of years. Some people can be surprised at how well they can do that.

 

[ichoudhury]

Thanks for the advice. I have started the step1 ... Moved her to a new nestbox tonight to see she accepts it. Gave her the two eggs she's been sitting on. If she stay in, I will place those eggs under her.

 

[ichoudhury]

So far she is trying to stay on some test eggs but other chicken disturbing her and laying their eggs there.

I will have to put net around that spot

 

[ichoudhury]

Something else I’d do first though is candle the eggs she’s on if you can see in them. Dark brown or green eggs can be pretty hard to see inside sometimes. Broodies have been hatching chicks with the flock for thousands of years. Some people can be surprised at how well they can do that.

... and I was surprised as well. This evening, I took all the eggs after candling and confirming that they are alive and well (only 4 more days to hatch .. some may take a bit longer as I added 2-3 days late). So I took out the 3 eggs which I thought had no hopes - (they went through such a neglect an abuse (not the Hen's fault), yet after candling, I see life in two. I guess due to irregular incubation, chick inside did not develop nearly the size of any of the other eggs i placed under her. I brought those two eggs and put them in incubator while rest are under her. I am taking a bet, and keeping fingers crossed!

 

[normanack]

Facing this issue myself -- with a few more questions. Hope that's okay.

1. If a reliable hen goes broody when eggs have been in the incubator for awhile (in my case, 8 days), is it okay to put the eggs under her? Will the move be hard on the eggs? Is the broody likely to accept them?

2. Can incubator eggs be moved to a broody at any point during the 21 days? Or are some times not good, from either the egg's or broody's point of view?

3. Chicks. At what age(s) can brooder chicks be put under a broody? Only newborns? Week-olds? Older?

4. Does a broody have to sit for 21 days before you can give her chicks? Or will she be as likely to accept them at any point(s) during those 21 days?

5. If the broody already has chicks, can you give her more chicks? When is too late (chicks too old)? I am assuming one always matches the age of the incubated and broody chicks.

Many thanks for your advice. I have 11 chicks in the brooder ranging from 1 day to a week old, one proven broody with four 6-day-old chicks, one broody who has been sitting on eggs for two days, and two new broodies who have been sitting for, well, probably between two and three weeks. They are bantams and are sharing a nest. Unfortunately there are more eggs under/around them than they can cover, and they don't appear to notice the difference between sitting on an egg and sitting next to an egg, so I don't have high hopes for their current eggs. But they're sitting tight, so I'm wondering if they might be good mothers to chicks swapped for their eggs. Also about 24 eggs in an incubator, on their 8th day.