Whats the deal with purchasing fertilized eggs

[moodlymoo]

I see everyone selling eggs to put under a broody hen or "setting" eggs. Do they need to be with a broody hen asap or what? What is the time frame for fertilized eggs? Im considering buying eggs for a hen I have next year and worry she wont be broody when they arrive

 

[silkie_sue]

Hi

If your broody is like mine....all I have to do is leave an egg or...well anything in the nest and she's setting....

So if she is like this and will set if there's something to set on. Have her setting on eggs or fake ones till the shipment arrives and then take out the fakes and slip in the new ones.

 

[Judy]

There are a few breeds, like silkies, that readily go broody, but most do not. Probably most people hatch eggs in an incubator. Having a hen accept fertile eggs and set on them is the exception for chicken breeds in general, not the rule. Even if you have a broody or two already, ordering eggs is taking a chance that she will quit before the eggs arrive or are hatched.

 

[Illia]

Actually most breeds do go broody quite often, it is the STRAIN that decides if they will or not.

For example a hatchery Easter Egger is very unlikely to go broody, but a non-hatchery Ameraucana is expected to at least once a year. Silkies are well known for being broody because they're one of the few that hatcheries didn't breed the trait out of.



But otherwise, yes, people usually rush because of the common fact in that most don't have too broody of hens.



But that's where incubators come in place, which is why hatching eggs/fertile eggs are popular.

 

[Cattitude]

We have a hatchery White Leghorn go broody, and now she has 4 babies that she will hardly allow us to see. She puffs up and growls at us even when we just walk by. White Leghorns are almost never broody; we just happened to get that one in a million. Never can tell, with chickens.

Edit: grammar

 

[HEChicken]

If you want to hatch under a broody, the best thing is to wait for a hen to go broody and THEN order the eggs. If you order when the hen is not broody, you might end up incubating them yourself.

 

[jengro65]

Quote:
I have a white leghorn I got from the feed store that is broody! Today is day 11 and im holding my breath that she will see it to day 21. This is my first experience with chickens and I never dreamed that this might happen from what i've read about this breed. She's 6 1/2 months old and papa was given to me from a friend. I think he's a black star??? and a few weeks younger then my girls. I candled on day 7 and can see webs of veins in all. I would love to pick your brain about your experience with this.

 

[Cattitude]

Quote:
I have a white leghorn I got from the feed store that is broody! Today is day 11 and im holding my breath that she will see it to day 21. This is my first experience with chickens and I never dreamed that this might happen from what i've read about this breed. She's 6 1/2 months old and papa was given to me from a friend. I think he's a black star??? and a few weeks younger then my girls. I candled on day 7 and can see webs of veins in all. I would love to pick your brain about your experience with this.

This girl is a really protective momma!! She'd growl at us even when all she had under her was eggs. She started with as many eggs as she could cover, then gradually pushed the undeveloping/dead ones out of the nest until there were 7 eggs left. 4 chicks hatched, and she got up and left the nest. We caught her and the chicks and put them in protective custody (there are loads of possums around this time of year). There are no babies at the Farm (I'm on the Hill) at the moment so we put her and her chicks in the brooder, with her growling and pecking at us all the way. Other than the fact that she's a Leghorn, she acted like most other broody hens.

 

[bald k9]

watch your hens and when one seems like she is about to go broody, [you will know] then call your egg person and have them ship them to you, then when you get eggs about 3 or 4 days later, your hen should be full into broody, then stick the eggs under her at night,,

PS ,I knew my hen was going broody, when she would sit in the nest for like 4 or 5 hours at a time ,and walk aroundthe nest ,sit by the nest, then a day or two later she would not come off her nest, I would even take her off and put her on the coop floor, and she just sat there, i went and got them fresh water and she was already back on the nest, Like I saiod you will kinda know when she starts to go broody, and that is when you call for your eggs, by time they get to you ,the hen should be full broody! Just my 2 cents

 

[jengro65]

Quote:
I've never had a broody hen or potentially hatching eggs either

Did her comb hang pitifully to the side? I moved her to the chicken hutch I used to brood her and her sisters in the Spring and put a nest box in it because she got mix up one and got in the wrong nest box in the coop. I made the move after dark and she still growled like a little devil. Are the chicks from her eggs or others? Any pic?