wanting my own babies

[julieseggs]

iam new at this so here goes. how long does it take a hen to lay enough eggs for hatching. will she quit laying when she has enough?and then will they hatch 1 a day.then should i move her to her own area away from the rest of the girl? i was wondering how they did all this before we got involved

 

[bloomnbeauty]

Welcome juliesegg,
I am not so experienced in this arena either but do know that the hen will lay one egg a day until she goes broody. Eggs from the hen need to be set within 10 days of laying. All the eggs will hatch at about the same time as she doesn't set on them until she has enough.

 

[shelleyd2008]

One thing you need to remember is that not all hens/breeds get broody. The number of eggs she lays really depends on the hen. I had 2 that layed eggs for a month straight before going broody, and 2 that lay 6-7 eggs before going broody.
The eggs do not start developing until the hen sets on them. No matter how many eggs she has, if they were put under her at the same time, they should hatch within 24 hours of each other. The hens will usually leave the nest when the chicks are 1-2 days old, in my experience, leaving any remaining eggs to die.
I would recommend putting a broody in her own pen or cage, just so the other hens don't lay eggs with her. They could potentially fight, causing the eggs to break as well. Also, when the chicks hatch, the bigger chickens might peck at them, or the mama could be very protective, and it is just a very stressful environment for all parties. Too much stress is not good, especially if you are raising them for eggs as well. This could cause the others to stop laying. You do not have to let the hen go broody, just keep taking the eggs away, and eventually she will stop.

 

[julieseggs]

thank you for the reply.. if i buy fert eggs and put them uder her will she sit. or do i have to wait until she wants to go broody. iam still wonderiing how things took place before we got involved

 

[shelleyd2008]

There are some that 'make' their hens go broody, which you can try if you want. They pen them up in a small area, with a nest full of eggs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. I, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. I have so many broodies right now, it is not funny! (check out the 'silly broodies' thread for details) You could wait until she goes broody on her own, just leave some golf balls, or fake eggs of some sort, in the nest, and when you see her staying on the nest, then order the eggs. She should set long enough for the eggs to get there, and to hatch them. They usually set until they hatch the eggs, although some will leave the nest if it is too long of a wait. I haven't had any problem with them leaving, but banties are great setters (obviously). Good luck..