Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Egg #2
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 164445" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Hens don't sit on their eggs unless they're broody. If the eggs are taken away each day, they don't get a chance to accumulate and the hen is less likely to go broody.</p><p></p><p>Bantams are more likely to go broody. Also, the sight of a nest full of eggs will send a vulnerable hen broody.</p><p></p><p>If the eggs are fertile and the hen begins to sit form the first egg, they never get to accumulate enough eggs to make all that 21 days of egg sitting worth while (not if only one chick hatches out). But if the eggs accumulate (either from one hen, or a flock of hens all laying in the same nest) then a hen will eventually go broody and claim the nest, chasing out any others who try to lay there.</p><p></p><p>That way when a hen starts sitting, the incubation dates from then. This means that more chicks are likely to hatch out for each clutch.</p><p></p><p>We had a bantam once hatch out 17 chicks! I very much doubt they were all hers.</p><p></p><p>We also managed to 'convince' a very susceptible Chinese silky bantam to go broody, in order to adopt an orphaned chick (Monty the Diamond Python had killed the mother).</p><p></p><p>But a fairly commn-or-garden-variety full-size egg layer has probably had most of the broodiness bred out of her.</p><p></p><p>You will know when a hen goes broody. They no longer strut around standing tall. Instead, they sit low down, glaring at you if you go near and looking like a bag of chicken with a head on top. if you can imagine semi-liquid chicken. They also make a different sound, almost a chirrup sound. If you go near they hiss like a boiling kettle. That is when the most docile, tame hen can also peck. Again, bantams are the worst as a rule. If you're fast and used to them, they won't make contact. if you're not so fast and you have a particularly vicious hen, they can grab a fold of skin on your hand with their beak, and TWIST.</p><p></p><p>To check eggs under a broody (even a vicious one) you attack from the rear - flip the hen forward onto her beak and ignore the outraged comments. She won't be able to do a thing about you.</p><p></p><p>To get a broody hen off the boil, get her wet. They hate it. Being broody pushes their body temperature up. Sitting on a nest keeps their body temperature up. Getting them damp (especially underneath - but only in summer) and then making them sit on a wire grid (for good air circulation) will get all but the most persistent of the brood.</p><p></p><p>A broody hen will stop laying. If you wait until she's had enough of being broody, you can miss the entire summer's laying opportunity.</p><p></p><p>A hen in good condition will lay one egg every 1-2 days at best. As they get older they lay less often. A hen in her first year can lay through winter, but after they're a year old they tend to stop laying as the days get shorter. They need 17 hours of daylight a day, to keep laying.</p><p></p><p>Our hens are about ten years old and we get maybe one egg a week out of six of them. I haven't yet been able to identify which hen - they ALL look surprised.</p><p></p><p>If Henrietta does not have a Henry, there's no point letting her go broody. But if she has, and you want to try hatching the eggs, ask around for someone who has a bantam. They are fabulous mothers and will raise anything. I've even hatched peacocks under a bantam.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Otherwise - just enjoy the eggs. I'm sure she doesn't mind. Infertile eggs do not good lying around the henhouse. They do a lot more good frying in the pan.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 164445, member: 1991"] Hens don't sit on their eggs unless they're broody. If the eggs are taken away each day, they don't get a chance to accumulate and the hen is less likely to go broody. Bantams are more likely to go broody. Also, the sight of a nest full of eggs will send a vulnerable hen broody. If the eggs are fertile and the hen begins to sit form the first egg, they never get to accumulate enough eggs to make all that 21 days of egg sitting worth while (not if only one chick hatches out). But if the eggs accumulate (either from one hen, or a flock of hens all laying in the same nest) then a hen will eventually go broody and claim the nest, chasing out any others who try to lay there. That way when a hen starts sitting, the incubation dates from then. This means that more chicks are likely to hatch out for each clutch. We had a bantam once hatch out 17 chicks! I very much doubt they were all hers. We also managed to 'convince' a very susceptible Chinese silky bantam to go broody, in order to adopt an orphaned chick (Monty the Diamond Python had killed the mother). But a fairly commn-or-garden-variety full-size egg layer has probably had most of the broodiness bred out of her. You will know when a hen goes broody. They no longer strut around standing tall. Instead, they sit low down, glaring at you if you go near and looking like a bag of chicken with a head on top. if you can imagine semi-liquid chicken. They also make a different sound, almost a chirrup sound. If you go near they hiss like a boiling kettle. That is when the most docile, tame hen can also peck. Again, bantams are the worst as a rule. If you're fast and used to them, they won't make contact. if you're not so fast and you have a particularly vicious hen, they can grab a fold of skin on your hand with their beak, and TWIST. To check eggs under a broody (even a vicious one) you attack from the rear - flip the hen forward onto her beak and ignore the outraged comments. She won't be able to do a thing about you. To get a broody hen off the boil, get her wet. They hate it. Being broody pushes their body temperature up. Sitting on a nest keeps their body temperature up. Getting them damp (especially underneath - but only in summer) and then making them sit on a wire grid (for good air circulation) will get all but the most persistent of the brood. A broody hen will stop laying. If you wait until she's had enough of being broody, you can miss the entire summer's laying opportunity. A hen in good condition will lay one egg every 1-2 days at best. As they get older they lay less often. A hen in her first year can lay through winter, but after they're a year old they tend to stop laying as the days get shorter. They need 17 hours of daylight a day, to keep laying. Our hens are about ten years old and we get maybe one egg a week out of six of them. I haven't yet been able to identify which hen - they ALL look surprised. If Henrietta does not have a Henry, there's no point letting her go broody. But if she has, and you want to try hatching the eggs, ask around for someone who has a bantam. They are fabulous mothers and will raise anything. I've even hatched peacocks under a bantam. Otherwise - just enjoy the eggs. I'm sure she doesn't mind. Infertile eggs do not good lying around the henhouse. They do a lot more good frying in the pan. Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Egg #2
Top