The experiment begins! How many eggs can you save from a single hen.

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When hatching season rolls around I feed a special mix designed to help maintain better fertility and egg development to both the hens & the rooster. It has proven to be a very good way and I am able to collect eggs for 12 day's with a 100% hatch rate, plus the chicks seem much healthier and grow better. I used to just save eggs for 7 day's and no longer but since my breed have inherant fertility issues every egg is like gold so with these additional measures the improved success is really worth it.

AL
 
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Can you tell us more about the "special mix"?

Fertility can be much improved in both the breeding birds and then the egg development is enhanced. I have found that the better the enzym development in the eggs is a real insurance policy for getting great hatches.

I feed 28-30% high quality breeder conditioneer feed as the bulk then add some BOSS and hard red wheat seed ( hulled or unhulled ). Then I pull the feeder out of their pen for about 30 minutes everyday, while I throw in a mere small handful per bird of Calf-manna poultry supplement for them to snack on so they eat it all, then replace their feeder. I also add a 1/2 capfull of red cell to their waterers. the red cell improves the ability for the blood to move the additional nutrients throughout the body and also act's like a form of rooster viagra. Together all of this has greatly improved my birds fertility, viability, and egg development is very strong and healthy. I never have blood rings or quiters since using this formula.

AL
 
Has anyone every started eggs under a broody hen and then had to put them into the incubator because she lost interest? My broody has been sitting on eggs for well over a month (I had to throw the first set out because they rotted) but I gave her fresh clean eggs (now that I know more about care for broody's) and she's still sitting. But I wonder if at some point she'll give up and get off. I only gathered the eggs from a few (3) days.
 
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I have hatched eggs several times in an incubator after the hen quit the nest. You just have to be sure you know about how long she had sat on them.
Also I wouldn't let a hen set that long. It is very stressful on them. You should break her up and let her get back in top form and then she might set again.
 
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I have hatched eggs several times in an incubator after the hen quit the nest. You just have to be sure you know about how long she had sat on them.
Also I wouldn't let a hen set that long. It is very stressful on them. You should break her up and let her get back in top form and then she might set again.

My broody crosses won't break, even ice whatever - cage with wire floor for seven days... bath... whatever they still trance and brood... *sigh* so I'm in the position to have to save them by allowing them to hatch the smallest brood possible... they actually had been laying EOD for me all last year... maybe they'll go back to laying or at least not stressing themselves out so bad...
 
Thanks for the advice. I tried to break her after the first set of bum eggs, but she just kept acting all broody. She's only been one these new eggs for one week, today, so maybe I'll put the eggs in the incubator and try to break her again.
 

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