what do I do if I want my chicken to hatch her eggs?

[chicksnducks]

I did not know what kind of chick he was when we got him and his wife....I got attached to them and could not part with them. He has just started crowing and my dh keeps telling me to find him a new home....

ok though about the eggs...I will start over ...the three eggs that I have left in the nest this week...are they still edible? or should I just throw them away?

how old does a Roo have to be to be fertile.....

 

[BirdBrain]

You could always do the water test. I don't remember which way it goes...floaters/bad-sinkers/good or the other way around. Maybe someone else can enlighten us both.

If you find them a new home it will most likely be to someone's freezer--how about to your own?

I guess the only way to know if he is really fertile (at 14 weeks) is to incubate some yourself (since you don't have a broody). I am not sure myself at what age roos are fertile.

Good luck on the next go around. Atleast this time you will have a little experience under your belt and have a better idea of what kind of chickens you are looking for. This hobby is very addicting.

 

[chicksnducks]

yes it is addicting...I just love my chickens...we also have three ducks which I am looking for a new home for...anyone interested???
we tossed the eggs that were left out and just started collecting whatever new ones come along....
thanks for all the info...this place has helped me learn so much....I think I will wait until my other girls start laying and by then I should know what other roos we might have..
As for Fatty Roo I am still unsure of what to do with him... anyone in Oklahoma interested????

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Quote:
Floaters bad, Sinkers good

If they are floating it means they have air in them which also means bacteria, yuck...

 

[dragbikepilot]

Quote:
Carri-
But isn't it the presence of a sufficient clutch of eggs (in the hens mind) that makes a hen go broody? If you remove the eggs she is laying, she will never go broody....the way I understand it......
I've heard you can use fake eggs in order to make her go broody, then replace them with the real eggs that have been collected and start the 21 day countdown.....

I'm wanting to do the same thing.......naturally incubate eggs......
I've read that you can store the eggs of all of your hens for up to 10 days provided they are in the right environment, then place them under a broody hen......
If you just place the eggs in an empty nest, and you have a hen that is able to become broody, will she sit on them as soon as she sees them in the nest?

Thanx