Quote:
You may be talking about me.......I took some eggs that had been incubated, one was pipped and put them under a broody hen. There were 6 eggs, three hatched, one was a quitter around day 10/12, a dark shell so I couldn't see that until the eggtopsy, one full term with yolk absorbed but couldn't break a very hard shell, the chick was very large and filled the shell completely and I had a hard time cracking the shell for the eggtopsy, the last was a developed chick that never pipped internally and didn't absorb the yolk.
I've done this before with my Icelandic eggs....collect a week or ten days worth and start them in the incubator. When a hen goes broody, and I know she is serious (doesn't spend much time off the nest, growls when anyone is around the nest, growls when anyone approaches her when she getting a drink, eating and doing her business, is puffed up when off the nest and flattened out like a pancake when she is on it). I move her and her nest of "practice" eggs (golf balls which I have given her while determining if she's serious) to a separate broody nest, moving only at night so she can settle on the new nest without seeing she is in a different place. I try to have the broody nest somewhere secluded and dark. I have, rarely, left a hen where she is, but it depends where the nest is and where she is in the pecking order and if it's the "favorite" nest or one used exclusively by her. If she is still serious, then she gets eggs. Once she is in the broody nest and you think she's going to get eggs, go in at night around the same time you plan to exchange her "practice" eggs with real ones and slowly reach under her. It will get her used to you moving your hand under her without bothering/taking her eggs (you can also do this before she even makes it to the broody nest stage). I take the incubated eggs out and place them in a basket that has a warm towel in it and cover them with another towel. I use a very small light as to not disturb her, slowly place two warm eggs and remove two golf balls at a time (I have a size large hand so maybe two eggs maybe tricky of someone with small hands, adjust to fit yours). Each hen is different and some will break the brood if moved, none of mine have but I've read of others. I've never had one that was serious not raise the chicks, even if they've only had them a day or so.
I don't always wait so late to move the eggs from the incubator...I'll let a hen sit on them as soon as I know she'll stick with it.
I moved eggs last year that I know had pipped interally, I could hear peeps but no external pips were visible, and gave them to a hen who hatched 11 of the 12 I gave her.
Disclaimer...........I'm just telling you my experience......not a professional anything.......just love my flock....this is how I do it........your experience may vary.
I love flowers! And speaking of that....got to get back outside and finish some garden clean-up!!
