I have a hen who has been sitting on her eggs for about a week. I'm happy about this, but the trouble is, there are only three eggs. Can I sneak them out from under her at night and replace them with about 8-10 other eggs that I've been saving from the other hens? I know people do this, but I'm worried that she'll realize it's more than she had before and abandon her nest. If that's a possibility, then I guess I'll let her sit on the three she has. Please advise, chicken knowledgable people!

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), April 23, 2002

Answers

chickens dont have fingers,, so they cant count, as long as you do it correctly,, shouldnt be a problem

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 23, 2002.

If she has been sitting on the eggs for a week already, I don't think it is a good idea to add more eggs as the ones that are already there. They will hatch in 21 days from when she started to sit. If you add more now, it will take 21 days for those eggs to hatch. The hen will usually stay on the nest for a good day or 2 after the first egg hatches to allow the others to hatch. If a couple days go by and they are not all hatched, she will abandon them. If you could have added them within a day or two of when she started, then you would have been ok. Darlene

-- Darlene in W WA (tomdarsavy@cs.com), April 23, 2002.

it's a little on the long side, but most broodies can make the four weeks. Be sure to take out the ones she has been sitting on when you add the new ones. I've never had a hen complain about having more eggs:)

-- mary (mlg@mlg.com), April 23, 2002.

All the eggs should be about the same age,(ie.fresh and recently laid, and still warm"prefered") add only the amount that she can cover, if eggs pop out, she will eventually gather them in, but they will have gotten cold, and may not hatch. You can mark the eggs with a pencil, to tell the set on eggs,from newer eggs.The Eggs laid by another hen, when mama goes out to eat or drink. Pine shavings make good bedding and can be added, as needed, anytime to keep the shape of the nest. Good luck and hope that they aren't mostly roosters, this happens to me , most the time... lacyj

-- lacyj (hillharmony@hotmail.com), April 23, 2002.

Just what you suggested (discarding the three, and replacing with new fertile eggs - a dozen more or less) will work. If it had been longer, or if you left the old eggs there, you'd run into the problems people have mentioned.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 23, 2002.