natural hatching

Julie08

Songster
11 Years
May 19, 2008
1,375
8
163
Ontario, Canada
I have 6 (I think) hens sorta all sitting together in a long nesting box they all have eggs under them that are all at different stages of development. On Sunday 2 hatched and yesterday 7 more. I have been taking the chicks away and brooding them myself because none of the mothers seem to have any interest in getting off the remaining eggs to take care of the chicks. Do you think its best I continue to take the chicks and brood them myself or should I let nature take its course and see if one of the hens will get off the eggs and take care of them. If one hen gets off the others just take her eggs and sit on them for her. Let me know what you think.
 
what hens usually do is sit on the nest for 1-3 days after the first chick hatches. then they take them out and start teaching them to eat and drink etc. remember, chicks can live just fine for 3 days after they hatch without anything to eat or drink because they absorbed the yolk right before hatching and that will continue to give them nutrients.
 
Every year I have several hens go broody within days of each other. Here's what I do: I let the hens incubate and hatch the chicks. After about 3 days of hatching,I give any hens hatching at the same time a share of the chicks and move the unhatched eggs to another hen.I keep doing this until everyone has hatched the eggs. The hens can't count and don't care if they have 1 or 10 chicks.
 
thanks, I tried moving the eggs to other mothers to "free" someone up to mother but no deal. They just keep going back and either sitting on nothing or taking eggs back from under the other hens.
 

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