Hi,
I currently have three bantam eggs in a incubator on day 17. Today when I went to let the chickens out I found my frizzled cochin bantam setting. I didn't think much of it, figured she was just sitting a little after she layed. She is puffing up and growling(typical signs of broodiness). I would prefer if a chicken raised the chicks when they hatch since I don't have that much time. I was thinking about waiting a day to see if she is serious about setting and then put two of the eggs under her to hatch and keep one in the incubator. Then when the incubator one hatches, move it to the cochin for her to raise. She is a little small for these bantam eggs, that's why I was thinking of just putting two under her to set. Would this work since it's only a couple days left of the incubation period (will she be too freaked out by chicks popping out after a few days of setting)? If I put the incubator chick underneath her at night once it gets dry, will she accept it? Does it matter that she has been laying for only two months now (would she be a little immature to raise three chicks)? Thanks in advance.
Daniel

I used to let a broody set on some eggs for at least a week before I'd put the eggs that I really wanted them to hatch under them. They can do funny things like just get off the nest and never get back on or go to another nest box. If you separate them from other chickens and only give them one nest box you can solve this problem. You also do not have to keep removing freshly laid eggs from underneath the broody hen that other hens are laying there.

Teen moms are not the best mothers, expect the worst. Everything will probably go fine, but I don't think that they are ready to let instinct kick in. In the wild they don't breed until they are a year old. I've had some young moms do some pretty stupid things, but these things also happen with older birds, but it doesn't seem to happen as often.

Daniel, It is better if a hen has been setting for a week or 10 days, before she will have the maternal instinct to care for chicks. Yes, she could get hysterical--or just get off the nest if she is surprised by peeping chicks so soon after getting settled. It might be safer to hatch your chicks as scheduled, leave a couple of eggs under the little hen that is starting to set, and take care of your chicks for another couple of days after they hatch, before you slip them under her at night and take away the eggs she is sitting on. Then she will think she did hatch them and should mother them just fine. But WATCH the BABIES for at least a DAY, as when they do not hatch under a hen, it may take them another day to learn her talk and that they must go under to be warm. Then all will be well. When we get in the mix of things, it can go very well, or, we must be prepared for the worst. It's up to you??? CJR

Hi,
I thought that that was a little too old to try to put the chicks under her? guess not. I'll try that, also she is weird about the whole setting thing. She is getting off for about 10 minutes...normal....but she's done that twice in like two hours. I had a couple of broodies before and they didn't get off at all unless I encouraged them. Anyways, I'll try what you advised if she is still setting.
Thanks, Daniel

A good broody will get of the nest once a day for around 10 to 15 minutes to eat drink and eliminate waste. A bad one will tend to get off just about anytime for different lengths of time. I had one hen that would putz around in the yard for an hour or so off and on and I figured nothing would hatch so I just left the same eggs under her and she managed to hatch two chicks out of eight eggs. It is amazing what kind of abuse an embryo can take. This was during the summer so the eggs probably never got below 80 degrees, but it still suprised me.

The closest living relatives to birds are alligators and turtles. both have nesting behaviors that some birds still have. There is a bird in Southeast Asia that builds mounds of decaying vegetation and incubates its eggs that way and there is another bird that goes to the beach and lays its eggs in the sand like a sea turtle and then just leaves them. No parental care, but the chicks hatch and grow up and come back to the beach and lay their eggs in the sand. No constant body temperature, but the eggs still hatch. Don't you wish we could do that with chicken eggs?

Thanks Rokimoto, I do wish chicken eggs would hatch like that, instead of worrying about the humidity and temp, etc. She is pretty good about staying on the nest in general except when I put fresh food out, then she comes out to check it out.

I have one question though, is it true the humidity should be higher during the last two or three days of incubation, and that the humidity can't be too high? Thanks

We drop the hatcher temp to 98-99 degrees and increase the humidity to 90 degrees wetbulb. I assume that the higher the humidity the better for those chicks that are prone to dry out in the shell before they manage to peck around and get out. I routinely keep my wetbulb temp at over 90 degrees (91-92) for a hatch. You can do this and still have your vents open if you place wet sponges in the racks or make paper towel tents in the water pans to increase evaporation. I drape paper towels over plastic cups.

You can't have eggs by the sponges because they will get cold.

Thanks, the first chick pipped today....day 19. This is the second time I had bantam eggs hatch early. The first time I had standard hens hatch them. Any clue? Could it be caused by the flock they came from? Thanks again.
Daniel

Bantam eggs hatch after 18 days, large birds after 21 days.