Planning on allowing a few eggs to hatch...questions...

[rparrny]

My RIRs that I have raised from a week old have started laying this week. One of the chicks turned out to be a roo but he is a really good protector and is not overly aggressive. I have a second coop that I ordered for the chicks (I had originally 4 gingernut rangers but the lawn company went in the coop area and something got in there and killed the flock) so I was planning on allowing 3-4 eggs to hatch "au natural" and then separate a hen and the chicks to the second coop. Because of this site I now can candle eggs to check for fertility, but I have many questions.
1. Which hen to choose to raise the chicks? Do I find the broodiest hen and use her? I was hoping to take one of the hens that gets bullied the most and use her...but I'm not sure my well meaning plan is the best for the chicks.
2. Should I put TWO hens in the new coop with the chicks so the hen is not too lonely?
3. Can I wait until the eggs hatch before separating them to the new coop or should I do it prior?
4. How long to wait before you use an egg for hatching? As always the first eggs are always smaller, does this produce a smaller bird? Is there a benefit and increase in quality for waiting a certain amount of time?
5. Brooding I'm sure exhausts a bird...should I change her diet once I have chosen her to brood and raise the chicks?
6. How many eggs to set aside if I am looking for 3-4 chicks?

Any help would be appreciated ty,
Rivka

 

[cochins1088]

1. If you want to be most sucessfull, use the broodiest hen. Find out who will protect the eggs the most. But if they are broody, they will probably hatch regardless so you could use your "bullied" hen as long as you separate them. Even a bullied hen very well may stand up for herself when it comes to her protecting her babies.

2. I personally wouldn't. She will be fine with her chicks, it's a 24 - 7 job. She will be protecting them from other chickens. Though if you have another broody there is a chance that they would raise them together. But I would leave her be for the first month with her chicks.

3. I assume you mean moving them before they hatch or after. If you are determined to hatch, I would separate them from the beginning. Set up a nice nesting box in the new coop with her eggs and food and water near by. Though you realize you don't need to separate them at all. You might have better results, but a mother will protect her babies fromt the other chickens, and I have even heard of roosters helping raising them.

4. Yes there is an increased quality. The first eggs are like practice eggs. I would wait at least a month and then try.

5. I've never had any one tell me different, but I thought the same thing. Since they aren't laying, I take them off of the layers pellets and switch to non - medicated chick food. The chick food has higher protein giving her more energy.

6. I would let her have 8, sounds like a good number to me. Anything could happen. You could have a completely bum hacth with almost mothing hatching, or all of them could hatch. But things will happen. Some might not be fertile, some may end up rotten, some may break, some could simply not hatch. There is an endless list of potenial reasons why eggs don't hatch. So it's posible you could end up with more, but I still hold to my 8. If there are too few, she may try laying more before settling in anyways. I told away duds while candling once and she got mad and layed a few more to replace them, my mistake. But you should still take out duds if you come across them.


Best of Luck!!!

 

[rparrny]

Ty for the quick reply