Question about taking eggs

[imzadi]

Hi there...I finally have a small flock; 7 in all (one silkie rooster, a new hampshire, three red star pullets, a brahma bantum, and a wyandot bantum) and am looking forward to my first egg!

I've read that the brahma is an "excellent brooder" so...I got to thinking. For now, I want eggs...that's why I got chickens (that will change by spring...I know )...but, will I "upset" or "emotionally traumatize" (he he he) these broody chickens if I just go and TAKE their eggs? Silly question...but, hey, they're so CUTE! I wanna be a good chicken mummy

 

[Ridgerunner]

No, you will not traumatize them. If you are going to let them hatch eggs there are certain things you need to do.

About half the chicks that hatch should be roosters. Do you have a plan for that? To me, that is your first order of business.

When you have a hen that goes broody, you have a few choices to make. Are you going to isolate her or let her hatch with the flock? We do it many different ways for any different reasons. There is no right way or wrong way, just the way we individually do it. Decide which method you want to do and let us know. We can help.

Whether you isolate her or not, you need to collect the eggs daily until you have all the eggs you want her to hatch. They all need to start at the same time or some will hatch before others, the broody will take the living chicks off the nest for food and drink, and leave the later ones to die unhatched.

The broody will not want you to take her eggs but you need to check under her at least once a day and remove any eggs you don't want her to hatch. I do that in the evening after all the other hens have laid that day. This can be before you have given her the eggs you want her to hatch or if you let her hatch with the flock instead of locking her in isolation, while she is incubating. If you are scared of the broody, wear gloves and long sleeves when checking. Someone has to be the adult in this situation and it works out better if that adult is you.

I leave a golf ball as a fake egg in the nests all the time until I give the broody her eggs. This shows the ones laying where I want them to lay and it lets a broody think she has an egg until I give her the real eggs. A good broody will set on no eggs, just use her imagination, but I think it is best to have something under her. It helps to keep then from getting confused and going to the wrong nest.

 

[Happy Chooks]

What Ridgerunner said.

And just because you have a brahma, doesn't guarantee that she will go broody. I have an almost 4 year old light brahma and she has never been broody. It is a breed that is more prone to broodiness, but not all brahma's will go broody.