NEW to egg’ing. Help me.

[Andie32]

So I haven’t hatched or incubated anything yet. I’ve got 7 laying as of yesterday with 19 possible pullets total... 24 wks. I’ve got 6 white leghorns and an EE laying.

I am thinking about hatching but don’t even know the basics. Tried the “all you need to know” links, but looks like all the reference info has been removed. Anything you can help me/guide me with would be great!! Pics are great too! Thanks all!

 

[IamRainey]

First, do you have a rooster? You probably are aware but I'll just say it, without a rooster you'll get eggs but there has to be someone to fertilize them to get chicks.

If you've got a rooster you could leaving it to the hens to brood eggs. That way you get chicks and the chicks get a mama hen to protect them and teach them the ropes. If you don't have a broody hen you'll need an incubator and a brooder.

I'll let that much settle in and let us know if you're ready for more info.

 

[AquaDuck]

Are you planning on making chicks, or are you just curious on what's going on?

Here's a good basic on how an egg is made inside the hen: https://www.wideopenpets.com/everything-need-know-chicken-lays-eggs/

This one is about incubation and hatching: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken.47696/

This one's also about incubation and hatching, a bit more complicated, but it holds a lot of nice information. It's about goose, but mostly same concept for chickens. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/

 

[Andie32]

I do have a rooster. So far, none of them appear to be broody. They’re always out and about, no one is ever sitting on the eggs. Does there need to be a clutch before they get broody? Will they only sit on their own? How long do the eggs need to stay in there to get a pullet broody? Does she even know they’re fertilized?

 

[Toothpick]

In my experience hens go broody whenever they feel like it. You can’t predict it. I’ve had hens for almost 3 years and only 3x as just 2 hens gone broody. To my knowledge nothing will trigger it.

If the hen is broody she will sit on anything you put under her. Chicken eggs, duck eggs, Legos, whatever. She has no idea if they are fertile or not, nor does she care. She’s just programmed to sit. Get you an incubator and hatch some is the best bet for chicks if you want new ones from your hens.

 

[AquaDuck]

Unlike wild birds, chickens will lay eggs everyday without being broody. Some hens will be broody several times in their lifetime, some will never be. A hen with chicks don't lay eggs, so broodiness as a trait has been bred out of many chicken breeds so they'll produce more eggs.

If you want them to be broody, just make sure there's always an egg or two in the nest. Collect the eggs daily though, and change out so that the newest are left in the nest. If a hen become broody, you can put more eggs underneath her afterwards. They don't care if its their own eggs or someone elses.

You'll know if a hen is broody when she doesn't want to get off the nest, blows up her feathers like a balloon and makes angry noises. Once she's started her incubation, she'll go off the nest once a day to poop and eat, and then back on the eggs again.

Fertile eggs don't start developing into a fetus before constant heat is provided. Chicken eggs are incubated at 37.8 C (99.something F). It takes 21 days for a chick to emerge. Eggs to be incubated shouldn't be over 10 days old, any older and they might not develop correctly.

As for your pullets, I doubt any of them will go broody any time soon. They're very young so give them time! Honestly, it wouldn't be good for them to go broody so young. Leghorns aren't known for their broodiness, but I've hear EE's are pretty good.

 

[Andie32]

Unlike wild birds, chickens will lay eggs everyday without being broody. Some hens will be broody several times in their lifetime, some will never be. A hen with chicks don't lay eggs, so broodiness as a trait has been bred out of many chicken breeds so they'll produce more eggs.

If you want them to be broody, just make sure there's always an egg or two in the nest. Collect the eggs daily though, and change out so that the newest are left in the nest. If a hen become broody, you can put more eggs underneath her afterwards. They don't care if its their own eggs or someone elses.

You'll know if a hen is broody when she doesn't want to get off the nest, blows up her feathers like a balloon and makes angry noises. Once she's started her incubation, she'll go off the nest once a day to poop and eat, and then back on the eggs again.

Fertile eggs don't start developing into a fetus before constant heat is provided. Chicken eggs are incubated at 37.8 C (99.something F). It takes 21 days for a chick to emerge. Eggs to be incubated shouldn't be over 10 days old, any older and they might not develop correctly.

As for your pullets, I doubt any of them will go broody any time soon. They're very young so give them time! Honestly, it wouldn't be good for them to go broody so young. Leghorns aren't known for their broodiness, but I've hear EE's are pretty good.

So just so I understand, I can keep an egg room temp for up to 10 days prior to incubation without washing of course?? How do I know at that point which ones to incubate...which ones are fertile??

 

[Andie32]

Unlike wild birds, chickens will lay eggs everyday without being broody. Some hens will be broody several times in their lifetime, some will never be. A hen with chicks don't lay eggs, so broodiness as a trait has been bred out of many chicken breeds so they'll produce more eggs.

If you want them to be broody, just make sure there's always an egg or two in the nest. Collect the eggs daily though, and change out so that the newest are left in the nest. If a hen become broody, you can put more eggs underneath her afterwards. They don't care if its their own eggs or someone elses.

You'll know if a hen is broody when she doesn't want to get off the nest, blows up her feathers like a balloon and makes angry noises. Once she's started her incubation, she'll go off the nest once a day to poop and eat, and then back on the eggs again.

Fertile eggs don't start developing into a fetus before constant heat is provided. Chicken eggs are incubated at 37.8 C (99.something F). It takes 21 days for a chick to emerge. Eggs to be incubated shouldn't be over 10 days old, any older and they might not develop correctly.

As for your pullets, I doubt any of them will go broody any time soon. They're very young so give them time! Honestly, it wouldn't be good for them to go broody so young. Leghorns aren't known for their broodiness, but I've hear EE's are pretty good.

Also, I live in mid FL so it’s like always HOT and HUMID so would that kinda act as an incubator itself??