Is it possible...

[lindsmurphy]

I am wondering if it is possible to introduce MORE eggs under a hen who is setting. I have a hen currently who has been sitting on her eggs for about a week, and although she is doing wonderfully for some reason she has only 2 eggs. She is a white pheonix hen, and as far as I know this will be her first clutch. I was wondering if it is possible to (maybe the next time she clutches) take refridgerated eggs that were collected from the coop (which would be fertilized, and THEN refridgerated). How long can I keep them in the fridge until putting them under the hen?

 

[BarefootMom]

DON'T Put them in the FRIDGE!! You will kill them!! Hatching eggs should be kept between 50-60 degrees before you incubate/put under a broody. (Some people have had luck with refridgerated eggs but I sure wouldn't risk it!!) You can keep gathered eggs (non refrigerated) for about a week or so as long as you store them big end up.

You can introduce new eggs but if there are more than a few days between the first eggs she may not keep setting after the first ones hatch. She may kick them out of the nest and if that is the case be sure to have an incubator on hand. (Speaking from experiance on that one)

 

[satay]

Personally I would not refrigerate the eggs I was going to give her to sit on. I would store no more than 7 days worth of eggs in an egg carton pointy end down and then put them under her when you know she is broody. I would not add eggs to a chicken that had been sitting for a week. She is likely after the first few hatch to abandon the nest before the next ones hatch.

 

[Heathero617]

I just put 4 nearly ready to hatch and moving wildly under my silkie who has been paitently sitting on 2 duds for 3 weeks, she just readjusted herself and at last check about 30 minutes ago, shes still on them. I'm going out now to check on her. I just felt horrible that she had sat so long and wouldnt get a baby from it. Thanks to another BYC-er shes now got 4 more chances, and i checked them all over before giving them to her and all are lively and full of chick. >crossing fingers<

 

[carrlr]

Quote:
X2

 

[lindsmurphy]

Ah, ok! I will know for the next broody not to refridgerate them. Thanks everyone, I guess we will just have to eat the eggs!

 

[lindsmurphy]

Well, I just thought I should update this thread since I just discovered something shocking in my hen house. HAH! I thought she was done at two, and for over a week I have gotten not ONE egg from my other hens. I suspected that they were just thrown off by the new chicks in the shed, and that they would return to normal soon. Come to find out when I went to move Lady Gaga (the hen who was sitting two) down onto the floor nest (I was worried about chicks getting thrown out and falling to their death), she now has at least 11 eggs under her! That sneaky hen must have been letting the other hens use her nest to lay, and then snatching them to sit on! I never thought to look UNDER HER for the missing eggs, though I scouring every other nook of the hen house! Too funny, you should have seen the look on my face upon that discovery. I am a bit peeved with her since my weekly bacon and eggs were minus the eggs this Sunday, it's just not the same with Bacon and Bacon. LOL! I'm also a bit concerned since I don't WANT that many chicks, but I'm just going to either raise them and sell the extras, or maybe even sell the chicks. Freaking hen!