Is it too late to put hatching eggs under a broody on day 7 or 8?

[happytxchick]

Today marks the start of day three for my newest broody hen. I've worked the last two days, could I still get other hatching eggs and put under her at this point -- they probably wouldn't be here till Tues or Wed? In the end, that would put her sitting on eggs for almost thirty days! Some chicks would hatch before others. Doesn't seem healthy. Has anyone else ever done this? I've read where ppl buy hatching eggs & put them under their broodies; how does this work?

 

[happytxchick]

I really need to know, please!

 

[abooth]

I think you'd have to take away the eggs she's been sitting on and give her new ones. If you just add to her clutch she will probably leave the nest before the second batch hatches because she will know she needs to get up and take care of the chicks that already hatched. Or you could take the chicks as they hatch so she will keep sitting. I have a hen sitting now. She sat for two weeks on eggs that weren't fertile. I finally got her some fertile ones but she had been sitting for 2 weeks at that point. So she will sit for a total of five weeks.

 

[Bunnylady]

If you put additional eggs under her, they of course will have a later due date than the eggs she has now, so you will need to do one of two things. Either take the chicks from the first group as they hatch, and put them in a brooder - this will (hopefully) keep her sitting until the second group hatches. If you leave the first chicks with her, she will leave the nest within a day or so of them hatching, and you will need to finish the incubation of the second set of eggs in an incubator. I have had hens that started brooding, and had other hens adding eggs to their clutches at odd times. As the chicks hatched, I removed them, and the girls went right on sitting, and sitting, and sitting (they were Silkies!). I have some bantam Cochin and Cochin mixed hens that hatched some eggs that I ordered a few weeks back. I had intended to get the eggs when the hens first went broody, but there were delays (

). Anyway, all 4 of these hens wound up setting for at least 50 days. I'm letting them raise some of the chicks - I figure they earned it!

 

[happytxchick]

Okay, thanks, y'all. All that makes total sense.