Using a heating pad to keep eggs warm if hen does not stay on nest.

[berferd]

I started out with four pullets last spring, one died from birth defects, and then two more were killed by predators. So I am now down to 1 hen. We have named her Uno Pollo. I don't have space for a second pen/coop to raise chicks in, so this spring we hope to put a clutch of fertilized eggs in her nest, and if all goes well she will be a mother. However, I am concerned as to whether or not she will completely cooperate.
I am thinking about using a temperature controller, and a heating pad to make sure the eggs keep warm, even if she leaves the nest. And I am hoping, if the eggs hatch, she will still mother them. Is there a chance this will work?

 

[imnukensc]

If she is not broody she won't sit on the eggs and your heating pad idea is not going to work to hatch them. Others will probably give lots more information, but that's the bottom line so to speak.

 

[featheredplanets]

Agree with @imnukensc

If she isn’t broody, she won’t sit and you’ll have wasted money on eggs. Pushing chicks on a non broody hen is also unlikely to make her broody, but it’ll also put the chicks in danger, as some hens have been known to attack/kill chicks.

The heat pad won’t work either. Who will turn them if she isn’t broody? You’ll have to go out several times a day to turn them, as a hen/incubator would. I’d also be worried of underdeveloped chicks with this heating method - people have made it work, but you need a plastic box to keep heat in and numerous other things.

Why not buy a few adult hens or rescue some ex bats?

 

[SueT]

Not all hens go broody. She has to be broody to hatch eggs and raise chicks. A heating pad is not a very good incubator. You have to monitor humidity in addition to temperature. It has been done, but there are a LOT of potential issues.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is there a chance this will work?

About as much chance of a piece of space junk falling out of the sky and hitting you house by this weekend. Anything is possible but some things are more possible than others. Others have given most of the reasons why it won't work.

I don't know enough about your situation to know what to suggest. You could get an incubator, hatch eggs, and brood them yourself. Or get baby chicks and brood them yourself. Or get older chickens, probably pullets. In any case, figure out integration. That single hen will probably be more of a problem than help in any of these but people manage it.

 

[berferd]

Wow, thank you all for the fast response. Ok, you are all correct. I don't know if she will get broody or not as the weather warms. Right now, it is the middle of winter. She spends a lot of time in her nest. We will see. The heating pad idea was kind of hair brained. I might be able to find some older hens on craigslist, I will keep watching.

 

[joker468]

I started out with four pullets last spring, one died from birth defects, and then two more were killed by predators. So I am now down to 1 hen. We have named her Uno Pollo. I don't have space for a second pen/coop to raise chicks in, so this spring we hope to put a clutch of fertilized eggs in her nest, and if all goes well she will be a mother. However, I am concerned as to whether or not she will completely cooperate.
I am thinking about using a temperature controller, and a heating pad to make sure the eggs keep warm, even if she leaves the nest. And I am hoping, if the eggs hatch, she will still mother them. Is there a chance this will work?

What I would suggest is to put some fake eggs in her nest and take out freshly laid eggs each day and maybe add another fake eggs every day or so. She may go broody when she has a nest full of fake eggs. When she goes broody go out at night and take the fake eggs from under her and out the fertile eggs under her. You will know she is broody when she starts sitting on the nest day and night. Also you will see what is called broody poop. It looks quite a bit different than regular everyday chicken poop. It’s bigger as in sorta fluffy looking and lighter in color than regular chicken poop. She can’t count so if it takes 4-5-6 days to locate fertile eggs it’s okay. She will sit them until they hatch. I’ve had hens sit for 5-6 weeks in total. It also may depend on her breed as to how determined she will be to hatch her brood. Some breeds are better sitters and others yet are better mothers in general. Some breeds LOVE to be broody and hatch several clutches each breeding season.