If you're interested, you can read my story. This means that a mother hen has no problem sitting on and hatching eggs laid by other chickens in addition to her own. Hens “go broody” and start sitting on a clutch of eggs when instinct tells them to. When Do Rhode Island Red Chickens Start Laying Eggs? Broody hens pull out feathers to allow their skin to come into contact with their eggs. She needs to be able to cover them all. Which is no mean feat, and quite the experience to be involved in (from a distance). You should be able to let nature take its course. It’s a good idea to have a backup plan in place in the event the hen decides to change her mind about hatching the eggs. If you intend to use a hen to hatch eggs instead of relying on an incubator, you’ll want to be sure that the hen is broody. The answer to this question is often as many as she can physically sit on and cover. She still only lays an egg once a day — or once every other day, depending on the breed. Be sure to give the mother hen plenty of room to stretch. This article will show you the basics to letting your broody hen hatch eggs. If you want your hen to brood over eggs and hatch them, this is good news. You notice nesting areas being set up in quiet spots within or outside of their coop. Broody hens often have significantly larger droppings than hens who are not broody. So, when eggs don’t hatch and a hen continues to sit on them for weeks, it can be bad for their health. Copyright © 2020 | ChickenAndChicksInfo.com | As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some hens will even kick out their healthy eggs and continue to brood over rotten ones. If you keep hens for eggs, you’ll notice quickly that they have a tendency to share nest boxes. This is why you’ll sometimes find multiple eggs in a single nest. A broody hen will stay on her eggs for most of the day. For all of these reasons, it’s important to remove bad eggs from the nest. Don’t be surprised if you have a broody hen on your hands looking to incubate eggs.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'chickenandchicksinfo_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',118,'0','0'])); How many eggs can a broody hen sit on? Combine this with fake eggs, a lot of owners swear golf balls are more effective than life-like eggs. When a hen goes broody in a shared nest, they may steal eggs, get confused about which eggs they’ve been sitting on, let other hens sit on their eggs (which can leave eggs at irregular temperatures and/or break your mama-hen of her broodiness if another chicken chases her from a thieved nest.) To facilitate keeping her eggs warm, a broody hen will pull out the feathers on her breast or underside. It takes 21 days for eggs to fully develop. Much more about … How many eggs can a broody hen sit on, anyway? Thanks if u can help me out. Sitting on the nest is an instinctive behavior. She will sit on her eggs (or anyone else’s) around the clock, refusing to leave them. A broody hen will sit on infertile eggs for weeks longer than it would take to hatch fertile eggs, and this is potentially very bad for her health. Using the candling method, shine a bright light against the backside of the egg and look for signs of developmental. I’ve read that some owners simply gave a broody hen a chick or two and this snapped them out of being broody. A bad egg, if left alone, can break open or even explode, making a smelly mess to clean up. Tendency to broodiness varies by breed and individual. She will get off the nest a couple times a day to, eat, drink, poop, and dust bathe. Do Chickens Kick Bad Eggs out of the Nest? If she has too many eggs, she won’t be able cover them all. A chicken won’t lay eggs while she’s brooding over a clutch, and it may take her a while to start laying again after being broody as her body will need to recover from the stress. She will only eat and poop once a day, usually when all the other chickens are asleep. This ensures that she doesn’t crack any of the eggs from over-crowding while trying to keep all of them warm. If the egg breaks, however, you will notice that it’s rotten; the smell is awful and instantly recognizable. If you’re interested in non-broody breeds so you don’t have to worry about dealing with a broody hen or chicks hatching, I recommend looking into some of the following breeds: Conversely, if you want a breed known for being broody and hatching eggs, I recommend looking into any of these breeds: Sometimes a hen will need a little encouragement to sit on her eggs and successfully incubate them. Got a hen sitting on eggs for 21 days now but not much happing how long do i leave her. However, hens can be excellent mothers when left to raise chicks on their own. I’ve had hens attempt to incubate 14-16 though. In other words, a bantam can brood 12 bantam eggs but fewer full-size eggs. It takes around 21 days for a fertile egg to hatch once the incubating process starts. Some backyard chicken owners put a broody hen in a dog cage with her own food and water. It’s just as likely that a hen will continue to brood over an egg that’s gone bad. Some will even go so far as to kill the hatchlings or break the eggs. Bacteria from a bad egg can also contaminate the nest and put other eggs at risk. Top Answer. My chicken has been sitting on them for 6days now. Claire In factory farming situations and even many small farms, hens have no contact with their chicks. How Long Will a Broody Hen Sit on Infertile Eggs? Once a hen has shown homicidal tendencies or other poor mothering skills, it’s a good idea to avoid having her hatch nests in the future. Allowing her to gather a large clutch of eggs. 2010-07-19 18:04:35 2010-07-19 18:04:35. They may fluff out their feathers to look more intimidating and might peck at you if you come close to inspect the eggs. They’ll decide when the nest feels “full”. Sometimes the mother hen will do this herself. However, it is a myth that a chicken will always kick aside rotten eggs. Some broody hens will abandon the nest or show no interest in the chicks once they’ve hatched. How Many Chickens Can Share a Nesting Box? In a chicken coop, that usually means a nest box designed for that purpose. For most breeds, this is usually 10-12 eggs comfortably. How Many Eggs Can a Chicken Sit on to Hatch? Not all hens are the same size and not all eggs are the same size. If the broody is a large fowl breed, she can handle 12-15 eggs of the size she would ordinarily lay, more if they are bantam eggs. Some fertilized eggs fail to grow, and some embryos start to develop before stopping. As long as the eggs are proportional to her body, a hen can brood up to a dozen eggs at a time. This article will show you the basics to letting your broody hen will not lay any more eggs and them! You notice nesting areas being set up in quiet spots within or outside their... 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