New to egg hatching. Any help plz.

[Floyds Chicks]

I just put 6 fertilized eggs under my broody hen. She accepted them well. I know that it takes 21 days for them to hatch, but what do I do when they do hatch? Do I have to move them out? Plz help also any other suggestions.

 

[nchls school]

I just put 6 fertilized eggs under my broody hen. She accepted them well. I know that it takes 21 days for them to hatch, but what do I do when they do hatch? Do I have to move them out? Plz help also any other suggestions.

Let the hen do her job. So many people are anxious and impatient and keep disturbing the hen at hatching time and this results in crushed eggs and chicks, chicks dead in the shell, broodys abandoning the nest, etc. You should try to make sure the nest/broody are in a place where she will not be disturbed by anything. When the chicks are hatched and moving around I move them to a spot where they can't be hurt for a few days or weeks.
Good luck.

 

[song of joy]

Most hens will do a fine job of hatching and brooding chicks, as noted by nchls school. I keep my broody hens isolated (but visible to) the rest of the flock during incubation, hatching and for about 4 days after hatching. Then I let the hen and chicks mingle with the rest of the flock.

During incubation, I provide food and water to the broody but pretty much leave her alone. I candle once during incubation, on Day 10 to check for infertile/clear eggs and embryos that died early. I remove these to avoid a potential rotten egg explosion under the hen.

It's not unusual for hen-incubated eggs to hatch on day 20, so be listening for chicks beginning on day 20. I essentially put the hen on "lock down" beginning on day 19. This means I don't bother her or attempt to look under her until she takes the chicks off the nest. She'll most likely brood her hatched chicks for 24 to 48 hours, during which time you might see a chick or two peek out from under her feathers. After 1 to 2 days on the nest with the chicks, she'll take them off the nest to eat, drink and explore. At that time, I remove egg shells from the nest along with any unhatched eggs. Lots of folks have more of a "hands on" approach to hatching with a broody, but I'm more comfortable with very minimal interference as it can lead to damaged eggs or chicks.

Best of luck. It's a delight to watch mother hens with their chicks!

 

[ChickMagnet64]

I let my broody hen hatch a dozen eggs this year. You don't really have to do much except put a little food and water close to her. Once they hatch she'll take it from there. She'll keep them warm at night and keep the other hens away. You'll find her to be very protective. Just sit back and enjoy nature at it's finest!

 

[Floyds Chicks]

I just moved my hen and the eggs to a new coop and isolated them from the rest. She is not to happy right at this moment. She does have her own food and water. Do you think she will still be broody?

 

[song of joy]

I just moved my hen and the eggs to a new coop and isolated them from the rest. She is not to happy right at this moment. She does have her own food and water. Do you think she will still be broody?

Sometimes moving the hen will break broodiness. It all depends on the hen. It helps if she can't see the former nest location. If the new location is quiet and feels secure to her, she will hopefully remain broody. I usually have the nest in a darkened area so it feels more secure. I've used a plastic dog house, and also a large wire cage with an old sheet draped over most of it and the cage door left open.

If you moved her in the evening, it does mean she'll have all night to set on the eggs in the new location, which is really good.