Chicken eggs (hen doesn't seem to be setting)greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread |
My chcicken does not appear to be sitting on here eggs much she is either standing over them or sitting to the side. Is this normal? What can i do?
-- Stephen D HIll (ukph@edsamail.com.ph), April 10, 2001
Different things could be happening. Hens don't set until they feel the clutch is large enough. I've had egg laying go on for up to 3 weeks before a hen would set.It could be the breed. Some breeds just aren't good setters. The Leghorn has had the setting ability pretty much bred out of it.
Something could've spooked the hen.
Then again, it just might be that at the time when you're watching, she's gone off the nest to eat/drink/poop/take a break. Mine have been off the nest up to an hour.
-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.
Chickens will usually wait till they get a comfortable nest of eggs, like 12. The hen knows shes wants them all to hatch within a couple days of each other, so she will wait till she has enough, and then sit them all at once. She only stays on the nest a couple days after the first hatch, so any not hatched by then wouldn't make it. She must get off the nest and feed the chicks that hatched. Hens will guard the eggs too. After 24 hours of incubation, the little chicks heart starts beating!I use golf balls in place of the eggs, in the nests. When a hen has sat the golf balls for a couple days without leaving them for long, then I take the golf balls and give her real eggs, about 12, smaller hens, less.
-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 10, 2001.
I'm assuming she has been setting. How is the weather? Mine will sometimes "hover" when it gets too hot out.
-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), April 10, 2001.
Thanks for the really fast response!! The chicken was a bit spooked cuz we moved it a bout and it was missing one egg because she stepped on it. She is now sitting comfortably. Thanks Again!!!!
-- Stephen D Hill (ukph@edsamail.com.ph), April 10, 2001.