Questions about eggs to hatch

[cajunlizz]

I recently noticed we have a HEN that is broody .

What we did was take 2 eggs that had been laid Tuesday and put them under her , and 1 yesterday and another today . CAN we do this everyday until we have 8 or 10 eggs under her ? I am marking the days daily .

We only have 3 hens laying right now . And yes we do have arooster so they are fertilized eggs .

AS YOU CAN TELL this is our 1st. time of messing with a broody hen and eggs . PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR INFORMATION REGARDING .

I know we CAN NOT take eggs that we have already put in refrigarator under her .

 

[keljonma]

Personally, I would not let her try to hatch a clutch of eggs IF she is still a pullet (under 1 year of age).

If it is her first time to go broody, I wouldn't put too many eggs under her.

Put the eggs under her and leave them alone. If she is truly broody, she will take care of them.

Put her in an area where the rest of the flock can't mess with her or the eggs. We found our rooster destroys eggs in a broody nest, so our broody area is in our laundry/mud room, which we also use as an infirmary.

Remember that some hens, even of breeds "known to be broody" are lousy at the the first time. So be prepared, if you need to remove the chicks once they have hatched.

 

[cajunlizz]

OK ... I have NO idea what age this hen is or if indeed this might be her 1st. time at being broody . When we bought her she was already laying .

she seems very determined tho ., She does get off nest a little while to eat and drink and RIGHT BACK ....

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Since you're not sure of her age, I wouldn't give her too many eggs to start with 4 or less might be good.

Not to put a damper on the excitement of a mama hen, but I have seen "determined broodies" kill their chicks after hatch. Being a determined broody doesn't mean she will be a good mama hen.

The hen should take care of the eggs while broody, BUT if you see her off the nest for an entire day or two, she may be over her broodiness. Broodiness is a hormonal thing... think pms. She has no control over it.

If it were my hen, I'd put her someplace safe away from the rest of the flock. It will not only help her, it will help keep the chicks safe after hatch.

When the chicks hatch, they absorb the yolk sac and don't need to eat for a couple of days. After they first hatch, you may not see them, because mama hen will keep them covered up until they are dry and fluffy. Around day 2 or 3 she will start showing them feed and water. Make sure you have starter or start&grow or a flockraiser feed. Mama hen can eat that too after the chicks hatch. The chicks will be too young for layer feed until they are about 14 to 18 weeks old.

Be prepared with a brooder box for the chicks if things don't look right after they are hatched.

Being broody is hard on the hen. Try feeding her some extra protein.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
Since you're not sure of her age, I wouldn't give her too many eggs to start with 4 or less might be good.

Not to put a damper on the excitement of a mama hen, but I have seen "determined broodies" kill their chicks after hatch. Being a determined broody doesn't mean she will be a good mama hen.

The hen should take care of the eggs while broody, BUT if you see her off the nest for an entire day or two, she may be over her broodiness. Broodiness is a hormonal thing... think pms. She has no control over it.

If it were my hen, I'd put her someplace safe away from the rest of the flock. It will not only help her, it will help keep the chicks safe after hatch.

When the chicks hatch, they absorb the yolk sac and don't need to eat for a couple of days. After they first hatch, you may not see them, because mama hen will keep them covered up until they are dry and fluffy. Around day 2 or 3 she will start showing them feed and water. Make sure you have starter or start&grow or a flockraiser feed. Mama hen can eat that too after the chicks hatch. The chicks will be too young for layer feed until they are about 14 to 18 weeks old.

Be prepared with a brooder box for the chicks if things don't look right after they are hatched.

Being broody is hard on the hen. Try feeding her some extra protein.

Feed her extra protein NOW when she is broody or after the chicks are hatched ?
Would scrambled eggs be a good choice ?

 

[keljonma]

I feed extra protein while the hen is broody. Scrambled eggs, yogurt, tofu, sprouted wheat, clover, stuff like that.

These are good for chicks too after mama hen starts letting them out from under her.

Remember that whenever you feed anything other than commercial feed, mama and her chicks are going to need some sort of grit. I sprinkle regular grit around for mama and play sand for the chicklettes.

 

[Heather J]

Same idea, different bird--Will my duck who is broody eat egg, yogurt, clover, etc? I've never fed my ducks anything but fruits, vegetables and grains, but I'm worried about her because she's a muscovy and has a long sit ahead of her, and my birds mostly free range.

I've tried getting her layer feed every day, but the other birds horn in and steal a lot of it. If my gander sees her eating anything, he goes over and picks on her--he'll go around all of the other birds in the yard just to pick on her. He's such a bully. I can sometimes sneak food over to her nest without anyone else noticing, but not always, so I want to make sure whatever I give her is going to do the most good possible.

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
I've never raised ducks, so I'm not positive. Give it a try, would be my suggestion.

Also I would separate your broody duck and her eggs from the rest of the flock. The drake picking on her and the rest of the flock stealing her feed is stress she doesn't need right now. Also, it could get to the point where your ducklings may not hatch or survive afterwards.


edited: if I could just type