Chicken/egg question

[Robinjopo1]

Okay. I have a broody hen. I left her in the nesting box with her 4 eggs. Today I go look and the other ladies have been giving her eggs and now she has 12.

I'm sure its an instinctive, save the species thing.

Question for chicken people. Should I have separated her and her eggs from the other hens when she first went broody or leave her in the nesting box?

I don't need 12+ baby chicks every time a lady goes broody. I was hoping to get 4 babies to replace the ones the fox ate.

 

[Arcticdude]

Remember that not all eggs will hatch, nor will all the chicks survive. Either way you'll have a few spares, or you can eat any extras that you don't want.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Some will be roos too. Just checked and one has 15 eggs and one has 7. Looks like 2 of the eggs have pipped, but I coyldnt take time to see if they were alive.

I moved the one with 15 eggs down to a less popular nesting box.

 

[Psalm7]

A good broody hen will stay on the nest a extra day to hatch as many as possible . But that 2nd day she will come off so her chicks can eat snd drink . A dozen eggs is a good nest full . I don't let hens keep laying with a setting hen .

 

[Robinjopo1]

A good broody hen will stay on the nest a extra day to hatch as many as possible . But that 2nd day she will come off so her chicks can eat snd drink . A dozen eggs is a good nest full . I don't let hens keep laying with a setting hen .

Do you move the setting hen to an apartment or keep in same coop?

 

[Robinjopo1]

I put food for mom in nest so I can give chick some starter too. I have the apartment ready for when they hatch. I saw two that had cracked but couldn't wait to see if they moved.

The one that has a chick has 7 eggs under her. It's another that has the 15 (just counted). She isn't due for about 15 more days.

 

[Danil54grl]

I mark the original eggs that momma is sitting on and take out any added eggs. After the hatching is when they get separated out.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Yeah, I marked mine last year. This year I wasn't too smart.

After I moved her to a new box, she moved back so I had to put the eggs back. I have appointments in the morning and will try to come up with some idea when I get home.

 

[Psalm7]

Do you move the setting hen to an apartment or keep in same coop?

I have put a small pen over the nest box and give her a water cup also have moved nest box to another stall . Just depends on how much room i have at the time .

 

[Robinjopo1]

I separated them today.

The hen with the chick is not sitting on her remaining 5 eggs. No big loss.

The hen with the 14 eggs is sitting on her eggs so that is good. None of them are going to be ready for a few days.

 

[Psalm7]

My Daughter has Her new chicken house nearly finished . We have been baby sitting Her Americanas and Golden Commits .

 

[Robinjopo1]

My Daughter has Her new chicken house nearly finished . We have been baby sitting Her Americanas and Golden Commits .

Is she building an apartment to acclimate new members to the family? I had to do mine later. It's the best thing I have done.

 

[Psalm7]

Is she building an apartment to acclimate new members to the family? I had to do mine later. It's the best thing I have done.

They are building some kind of luxury resort for them .

 

[Robinjopo1]

Cool. Chicken swing, dirt bath spa, etc.

 

[Arcticdude]

Cool. Chicken swing, dirt bath spa, etc.

That's exactly what my wife has planned for me to build; chicken swings! She already has special dirt baths for them. And here I thought my wife was the only chicken nut around.

 

[Robinjopo1]

That's exactly what my wife has planned for me to build; chicken swings! She already has special dirt baths for them. And here I thought my wife was the only chicken nut around.

I have never purchased a chicken swing. Lol. I see them for sale in the books.

Mine just dig out holes sin the sad and make a dirt bath. MIT keeps off bugs.

 

[Robinjopo1]

My hen is walking around in the apartment with the chick on her back. So cute. Of course, I didn't have a camera.

 

[Robinjopo1]

So far I have 3 chicks. One hen had 1 live and 3 die after they pipped. (Looks like that would be a lung thing) and the other has hatched 2 that I've seen and 1 died after pipping.

They are all grey so I'll name them all "Grey". 11 more eggs to go.

 

[Robinjopo1]

All of the storms and fireworks have cut my egg production. I dont get many, but I can tell a difference.

I let the "other" mom and her 2 checka out today for the first time. Good grief, one would get seperated and start yelling then the other.

The mom that has the elder chick tried to kidnap the babies. It was a cluster..... . . I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[Robinjopo1]

First day free rangung for the 2 new chicks. One got wrapped in nylon fencing and I had to cut her out while the elders tried to kill me. The baby is safe and so am I.

I had a picture to share but it isn't allowing me. Your loss.