Just found hen sitting today!

[Just plucky]

Just found one of our buff orps sitting on 13 eggs! We believe she's been sitting for 2-3 days & I'm wondering if I should pull all of them or let nature take its course with a few.

Weather is 30 at night & maybe 50 tops in the day. So I'm concerned the eggs wont make it to hatch &/or the chicks will be too cold after they hatch. This hen has successfully hatched chicks before.

Has any one hatched chicks with a hen this time of year & do you have any advice? We've never hatched chicks before so any help & suggestions are appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If you want more chicks then let nature take it's course. By late February your lows are near 40F right? They've got mother to keep them toasty warm first few weeks.

 

[Just plucky]

Thanks for your reply Egghead Jr yes that's about right for February temps although we've had a rather cold, long winter so far & we've been surprised with snow as late as March before, I suppose if it got too cold we could bring them inside.

A couple more questions, we would like some chicks but not 13 quite yet! The only way she got upto 13 eggs in the first place was by pulling eggs from a nearby nest to her stash, will removing the excess stress her out a lot & is she likely to move more eggs to her nest especially if I remove some? Lastly, she's not sitting on an actual nest but rather a makeshift one, so should I give her a nest & move the eggs into it in the same spot she's chosen?

Any help is appreciated, this is our first time with a broodie hen!

 

[Jessshan8]

If at all possible I would separate her from the rest of the hens. If she is broody she might get kicked off her nest by another hen wanting to use her spot to lay an egg. At that point she might decide to set on another clutch of eggs. I always separate the hens I let stay broody to a secure part of my coop ( moving eggs and all ). She might walk around and fret for a little bit but then will jump back on her eggs and take up incubating them. At least that's what my hens do.

 

[Just plucky]

Hi Jesshan8! She's in a nice, dark corner all blocked in, sides & top, with stuff obstructing the entrance a bit even so thankfully I'm not concerned about that! Great advice though, thank you

She's still sitting happily on the eggs & I brought her a food & water dish & hand fed her some scrambled egg today so she doesn't have to get off the eggs at all except to stretch & poop. If all goes well hatch day should be around Valentine's

 

[Jessshan8]

Congrats on your upcoming clutch of fuzzy butts! The Roo in your avitar is awesome, What breed is he Jersey giant, Australorp?

 

[Just plucky]

Thanks! That's Ludo, he's our top roo & a hatchery Jersey Giant, we also have his hatch mate Thor & two Lav Am roos.

 

[Jessshan8]

I have Three White jersey giant roo's.... I really like this breed, not a mean bone in any of mine. If you cross your roo to the Lavender am you get all Lav's. Not sure if you knew that.

 

[Just plucky]

I bet your roos are gorgeous! Our JGs are sweethearts too, we're very happy with the breed & like them the best out of our mixed flock of JGs, EEs, BO, BSL & Ams.

We only have Lav Am roos no hens unfortunately, would we get the same results breeding the Lav Am roos to a JG hen? We have those.

Reading up on the genetics of the Lavs I thought they would be a spilt of black & lav?

ETA that some of the eggs being sat on may be Lav Am & JG

 

[Jessshan8]

I bet your roos are gorgeous! Our JGs are sweethearts too, we're very happy with the breed & like them the best out of our mixed flock of JGs, EEs, BO, BSL & Ams.

We only have Lav Am roos no hens unfortunately, would we get the same results breeding the Lav Am roos to a JG hen? We have those.

Reading up on the genetics of the Lavs I thought they would be a spilt of black & lav?

ETA that some of the eggs being sat on may be Lav Am & JG

Sorry, you are right. I stand corrected. The color crosses will be 50/50.
I have JG's, EE's, and AM's with the associated crosses all under the White JG's