When do you start counting...

[GaDawg]

the days?

My Dom. went broody yesterday so I put 5 eggs under her today that were laid yesterday. So do I count today as day 1 or start tomorrow.

And do I need to candle these eggs, she is kinda feisty.

New to this and getting to much stuff from the search to look thru...sorry

 

[steelshot]

I count tomorrow as one

 

[speckledhen]

As with incubating in the bator, if I start the eggs before noon that day, I count the same day as Day One. If it's afternoon or evening, the next day is Day One. Most of my broodys' eggs hatch on Day 20 anyway, so it's just an estimate.

 

[GaDawg]

Thanks guys! I will count day 1 tomorrow, since just put them under her.

Should I try to candle these on day 7?

 

[mulia24]

hmm, not pretty sure if using broody hen. but i think you better leave them with your hen and not candling them, since hen is the best (i think) incubator ever, they can hold temp and humid(maybe) very good. they even "directly" "put" the chicks inside "brooder"(that's her body) when the chicks hatch. i have many times my hen hatching chicks years ago, i never candled them, they doing fine with their mom.

 

[S&SPoultryExchange]

Quote:
Was gonna kinda say the same thing.

 

[GaDawg]

Thanks mulia, so I'm to assume that she will get rid of the ones that are not developing. I don't want one to explode in the nest like i have heard they will in the incubator.

 

[mulia24]

no, she won't get "rid" of it. the undeveloped/dead embryos will just sit together with her and the other "healthy" eggs.

but, our family have been raising chickens although in small quantity (just 5 hens that time, before AI attacking) for twenty years, i never find exploded eggs. that's in indonesia, temp of region may affect the condition tough.

hens is the most (to me) trusted incubator, you don't need to mess with power outages or hygro thermo meter, water jar, thermostat,etc.

so, i suggest you just leave the eggs to her and keep watching predator (rat/snake/cat/dog,etc) that may eat your eggs when the hen away. make sure your broody hen has a "good record" regard to egg hatching, my village chicken will attack me and make my hand bleeding if i dare to get close enough to her when she is setting eggs (no more broody hen now

)


good luck with your hatch.

 

[speckledhen]

My policy with broodies is that I candle once, on Day 9 or 10, usually 10. That way, I can remove any clears or blood rings, and the others will be covered even better.

 

[lavacaw]

I tried removing extra eggs from under a broody that other chickens had laid under her while she was sitting...she left the nest and refused to finish hatching the eggs. I would think twice about messing with her! Just my experience.