Switching eggs in a first time broody

[MabelTheMuscovy]

Hello!
I have a 2 year old belgian bantam ( known for being good mamas!) who has been sitting on her eggs for 3 days now. I would love to swap them for some fertile ones but I'm worried that if I disturb her, she might give up since she is new at this and I only have a limited number of fertile eggs!
Has anyone got any advice/tips on switching eggs in a first time broody hen? I've never done this without an incubator (or a stubborn silkie) before lol!
Thanks!

 

[sourland]

I'd just do it. I have never had a hen break broodiness because I switched/handled her eggs.

 

[Duck_life]

birds don't actually abandon their eggs if their touched or if the chickens disturbed... don't pick her up though so you can try markingthe fertile eggs plop them under her first and fish for the infertile eggs (thats why marking the fertile ones is useful) i doubt she well get up

 

[MabelTheMuscovy]

Okay! I'll maybe just brave it then and hope for the best! Thanks!

 

[chickens really]

You can pick he up off the nest and she will go eat and poop. Then swap out the eggs. I recommend setting her up in a private place to hatch the eggs without interference from other Birds.

 

[A.M. Eggs]

She won’t mind if you reach under her. I have two first time broodies at the moment and they don’t mind if I reach my hand underneath them and collect eggs. They are going to be moved in a few days so that they can have babies(bought from the store already female).

 

[MabelTheMuscovy]

Thanks for all the replies! I may just have to lift her because she is so tiny that even my hand under her will lift her right up anyway haha! She is only in with one other tiny hen at the moment and she is also trying to be broody (not doing well... sits for a day then craves attention so has to come out and sit on your knee for a little while... I'm trying to leave them in peace to see if that helps).
Thank you all for the tips!

 

[PirateGirl]

You could wait a few more days to make sure she is really committed. I did this recently and stole the non-fertile eggs every day for a week. She kept sitting even with no eggs and I finally gave her some fertile ones instead. I reach under her every day to look for and remove any new eggs the other hens h e deposited in her nest. She hasn’t given up yet! If she is aggressive and you are nervous just wear long sleeves and gloves. I got a few angry pecks initially, but after a few days she was used to the routine.

 

[MabelTheMuscovy]

I'm going to have to wait a few days on the fertile eggs arriving anyway so she'll have a couple more days to prepare hopefully! Pecking shouldn't be a problem... she is crazy tame. I patted her this morning to see if she made the typical broody noise but nope... just looked at me wondering why I hadn't given her a treat yet hehe!

 

[PirateGirl]

I'm going to have to wait a few days on the fertile eggs arriving anyway so she'll have a couple more days to prepare hopefully! Pecking shouldn't be a problem... she is crazy tame. I patted her this morning to see if she made the typical broody noise but nope... just looked at me wondering why I hadn't given her a treat yet hehe!

My broody almost never makes cute broody noises. The first I heard her was last night as I finished candling and tucked the eggs back under her.