What's the go!!!!

[Rose98]

I have a broody hen!!! First time, so quite exciting....
But it is coming on winter, she is on only one egg, and candled the egg five days ago and it looked on about day 9 to 10. Candled it again today and it looked like only day 11 or 12..... Another thing is I can't see any veins but a blobby thing inside moves. Do you experts think there is a chick in there or just bacteria stuff??? I am going to leave it there and candle it again in another 3 or 4 days anyway but do you think I should organise some more fertile eggs??? Or we have 3 week old chicks, would it be safe to give them to her if her egg is a dud or not. Thanks.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I've never tried introducing chicks to a broody hen to adopt. Believe 3 weeks is a bit too old but others would know that sort of thing.

If the dark mass in the egg is floating around then it's bacteria. Twitching, flickering motion is a chick.

 

[Rose98]

Thanks, Do you recommend to get fertile eggs to put under her or not because its nearly winter????

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I don't raise chicks in winter. Many do. If you think they'll have time to feather out before the freezing weather hits then there's no reason not to let her set a clutch of eggs. Three weeks to hatch and then four to five weeks of growth. Think you've got two months of late fall early winter left? Momma hen will keep them warm and chicks are tougher than we give them credit for. Broody reared chicks feather out faster and are much hardier than our pampered brooder raised birds.

 

[Rose98]

Thanks, got about 3 weeks till winters starts.
Might take away the eggs she is on and see what happens...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If your not going to use her as a broody then break her. It's hard on a birds health to be broody. I use the cage method to break broody birds. It can take longer to do the longer a bird has been broody but simple enough. Put her in a small kennel cage. No bedding for her to nest on and keep the cage in your run with food and water. If a just gone broody bird then two days is all it takes. Stubborn birds will take longer or several sessions but it works and gets them back to laying and in health faster.

 

[Rose98]

Tried breaking her for the last 2 days but she has been going frantic.
I will see if my friend has fertile eggs they can give me.
Thanks for your help.