So now they go broody!

[ZooMummzy]

Back in December I bought eggs for my house Silkie and Serama hens who had both been broody for months. Of course, the minute I pay for the eggs and they are in the mail, they both decide to not be broody!

Now, with my last set of eggs in the incubator for the season (5 hatches later - I got a little addicted lol), you can guess.....they are both broody!

So, after consulting a friend, I'm going to stick a few of my 7 day old incubated eggs under them and hope they forget about calendars and just do their thing

Anyone else ever had luck with this? I would think they wouldn't really know the difference since sometimes broodies sit on unfertilized eggs for months on end. In the end they will get what they want - babies, hopefully.

 

[puredelite]

Hardly any two hens have a like mind but one thing they most have in common is the unability to count! I too have had one set way beyond 21 days 'til the stench of rotting eggs forced her to finally abandon the nest. So... you should be OK with your plan. I had a friend that would use Muscovy duck hens to hatch peafowl eggs. He would simply remove the chicks at hatching and replace with more eggs. Had a duck that set continually for over six months. She was a real money-maker for him!

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
Lol doesn't surprise me. I have two broody's outside who have been setting for months now (I don't want to hatch babies outside in the winter) with nothing under them! I'm going to clean the girl's cage today and replace the unfertile eggs they are setting on now with ones out of the incubator. I guess worse case and they abandon them I will just stick them back in the incubator. They are eggs from hens, not purchased ones, so it wouldn't be too great of loss if they don't make it. We shall see! Now, lol I just hope they agree to raise them together. The Silkie hatched the Serama last January and they have been living together since.