Set some eggs just now, due date 20th July.... anyone else setting just now? Hatch-Along

[brittanyd]

Just set 7 eggs ehd is 8/1 and i already have 15 and their ehd is 7/29 none of my hens are broody so i decided to try and incubate them this is my first time ever trying to hatch IM so excited but at the same time nervous cause I don't want to mess anything up also my hen laid a double yolk egg and was wondering was it worth hatching i think it will be neat if it did

 

[blom545]

I just got 8 eggs under a new broody today!! so she's do the 31st!! can't wait!!!!

 

[brittanyd]

I just got 8 eggs under a new broody today!! so she's do the 31st!! can't wait!!!!

lucky wish one of mine would go broody

 

[FRANCOIS]

My first eggies for the breeding season are due for the 23, in the mix are are 21 light Sussex, 11 white orpingtons , 9 black Pekin and 12 blue australorps,! Can't wait!!!!

 

[brittanyd]

Mine are Sussex isa brown mix wonder how that's gonna turn out

 

[CAjerseychick]

Well I'm new to all this and have been concerned bc my silkie has laid every day this week since sunday and 2 on one day (personally, I think I have another laying but I can't confirm). My concern has been that she's laying but not brooding. And so I've kept the eggs in the spot she lays them in and just now, literally, am seeing her stay in her box laying on the eggs. So I'm sure she's brooding. The question now is; will they hatch since they've stayed in the box. I know they're fertilized... so idk. Can anyone enlighten me?

Broody means they stop laying and just sit-- for 21 days straight-- on a number of eggs-- what the hen does is lay eggs daily until she gets her clutch of eggs-- they lie dormant until hens consistently sits on them and triggers their growth and development(I dont know how long? 2 days straight at what ever the hens body temp is?)-- once the eggs have been "triggered" and start to grow into chicks-- they DIE if the heat incubation is interrupted say, longer than an hour or so (sometimes a couple hours if its really hot and as the egg goes longer say day 14 or so(?) they can tolerate some cooling down)-- so its perfectly normal for your silkie to lay and not set-- but once she does decide she has reached her ideal number of eggs and begins to "sit", she should stay on the eggs consistently not every other day or so, and she will not lay anymore. (You should mark the eggs so you know exactly which ones are the originals not ones another hen has laid in with them.....
The Broody hen does take a quick (and often unseen) break to poop and eat and drink once a day but she should hop right back on the eggs....

 

[sweetappleacres]

How you explained it is how I've interpreted it from several other sources. However you get those that contradict what you've just stated so I just don't know, as I'm new to this. However after posting that post she got up after laying another egg (7 now in the box) and she's with the rest of the flock today. I hope she starts brooding soon... I'd hate to have all those eggs wasted. And it's hard to tell if I have more than one hen laying (there are 2 other possibilities- I have 2 white silkies and 1 buff) but I've haven't found any proof. I've only seen the one lay, and have the rooster mount her. It could be the other white bc I only see white tuffs on the coop floor, but I just don't know!!!

 

[CAjerseychick]

How you explained it is how I've interpreted it from several other sources. However you get those that contradict what you've just stated so I just don't know, as I'm new to this. However after posting that post she got up after laying another egg (7 now in the box) and she's with the rest of the flock today. I hope she starts brooding soon... I'd hate to have all those eggs wasted. And it's hard to tell if I have more than one hen laying (there are 2 other possibilities- I have 2 white silkies and 1 buff) but I've haven't found any proof. I've only seen the one lay, and have the rooster mount her. It could be the other white bc I only see white tuffs on the coop floor, but I just don't know!!!

eggs can hatch out even after being stored (on your kitchen counter or in the nest box) up to 14 days later-- My hens didnt brood until they were 1 year old though. I would just collect all your eggs as usu. When I hen goes broody you can tell-- you will find her in that nest box day after day-- we didnt even notice til day 5 and were taking all the eggs out from under ours-- it never occureed to us we would get a Broody hen-- it just happened! And then I found a clutch in the bushes and just put them under our Broody (after 5 days I figured she was def broody) -- we just took it from there-- once you decide your hen is really broody then you can just put eggs under her (mark the "set", and then you take out all the unmarked eggs from then on)....

 

[Gen9]

I've read on another thread that eggs can be stored for up to 3 weeks!! I guess it wouldn't hurt to try out this experiment. I've set aside eggs for the next hatch and a few of them will be a little over 2 weeks. I can't believe I'm doing this but YES I've set eggs aside for the next hatch! LOL!!! I'm so thankful I have a husband that puts up with this crazy chicken lady

 

[CAjerseychick]

I've read on another thread that eggs can be stored for up to 3 weeks!! I guess it wouldn't hurt to try out this experiment. I've set aside eggs for the next hatch and a few of them will be a little over 2 weeks. I can't believe I'm doing this but YES I've set eggs aside for the next hatch! LOL!!! I'm so thankful I have a husband that puts up with this crazy chicken lady

I did hear that you can go longer than 14 days for storage... I am too "chicken" to try it.... I did find another clutch of eggs -- 16!!!-- in the bushes yesterday, no hen in sight, so I did the float test and all tested out fresh.... (we used up 4 yesterday and they were fine)..... But I think I will eat this batch, its too nerve wracking hatching out (my 2nd broody was off her nest this AM taking a dust bath, I have NEVER seen her off before, so I am crossing my fingers she will get back on)... Its day 15 for us... EEEKKKK...