New at hatching!

[Fussy8]

Hi there i know i have posted alot about this subject but i am new and want to do this perfect all the way home!! My hen is naturally laying on eggs do i need to flip them

and do i need to candle them as well

? If i move them will it kill them to be shuffled around a lot?! Thanks for dealing with my obsessive questions!! Thanks guys!

 

[DMRippy]

Calm down this is not hard.... No you don't flip them, you store them point down and then tilt them 45 deg to one side then the other. I think you need to do that a min of 3-4 times a day... not sure on that. I have a turner and it works 6 times a day. You don't have to candle them but it is fun to see what is going on. You may not be able to see through some eggs. EE can be hard and dark eggs like Marans are hard to see in. Don't candle and egg over the others... if you drop it you would just lose one if you are over the other eggs you will lose more. I would not handle them more than you have to and make sure your hands are clean.

I just re-read that do you have a broody? She will take care of everything if she sticks with it. You could candle but most don't with a broody. She might kick out the bad eggs. I think it is best to leave her alone and let her do her thing. The more you bother her the more likely she is to give up IMHO

There is a thread for broody info

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=457488&p=1

 

[Ukiah]

You do not need to turn the eggs, as the hen will do that herself.
I don't candle the eggs when my broodies are setting on them, the less she's bothered, the
better IMO. However, It will not hurt the eggs to be candled a couple times during the first 18
days of incubation, so if you wanted to, you could. Be gentle when you move them, and there
will be no worries.

Best of luck

 

[kathyinmo]

If your hen is setting, you need to do nothing. She will take care of everything.

 

[cmom]

I agree, your broody will take care of the eggs. She will get off the nest for a few minutes now and then to eat, drink and poop. Good luck...

 

[Fussy8]

thank you guys so much! That makes me feel much better and thank you for the support!!

 

[macdoogle2]

I do lift my broodies once a day to see if there are any new eggs under them, since the rest of my flock shares the same nesting boxes. They peck at me a little but not hard. I notice the 2 broodies shift nests so I know they get off to eat. I marked the originals with a marker and I remove any of the new eggs. I have not candled or moved any of the original eggs. I figure the hens know what they're doing.