A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (55 page)

It’s unfair to ask a hen to hatch eggs when she’s already been broody for some weeks – she’ll be exhausted and may even give up halfway through.

Occasionally a pullet goes broody but she shouldn’t be allowed to sit unless she’s been laying regularly for at least several weeks.

While removing eggs can discourage broodiness, leaving pot eggs in the nest-box can turn a hen’s thoughts to motherhood – although some breeds go broody at the sight of an egg anyway.

Most hens go broody in spring and early summer but some try again later in the year. This isn’t a good time to start a hatch. Naturally raised chicks need the long warm days of summer to grow and thrive (when planning summer holidays, remember you will have an extra pen of birds to deal with).

The nest-box isn’t a suitable environment for hatching eggs. The broody will find it difficult to do her job properly while competing for space with the laying hens. Any chicks that hatch will be at risk from disease and parasites, as well as attacks by the adults.

A broody hen needs a separate coop, where she can hatch her eggs and raise her chicks in peace.

This is ideal as a broody coop, and can easily be moved to fresh ground

Select the broody coop with care – remember that little chicks won’t manage a steep ramp – and make sure there is adequate ventilation and security. It must be proof against rats (ours is completely wrapped in a double layer of wire). Chicks grow rapidly so the run should be large enough to accommodate the growing family or capable of being easily extended.

A piece of turf makes an ideal base for a nest and provides the necessary humidity. In very dry weather it can even be watered to keep it moist. Scrape away some of the soil under the turf so the grass forms a slight dip in the middle, then construct a comfortable nest of short straw or shavings, with enough space for the eggs to form a level circle. Place a couple of pot eggs in the nest.

Treat both coop and hen against parasites, and then move her at night with as little fuss as possible. The move may disturb her and she might even change her mind about being broody, but if she’s really committed she will quickly settle on the dummy eggs.

When the broody has settled, you can replace the pot eggs with the hatching eggs. This also should be done quietly at night when she is drowsy. The hatching eggs will be much cooler than the dummy eggs she has been sitting
on, so try not to give her a nasty surprise. Slide a hatching egg under her and slip out a pot egg. If she accepts this, continue with the others until she is sitting on only the eggs you intend to hatch.

When selecting eggs for hatching, choose those produced by healthy hens who are consistently good layers. The hens and cockerel should be fully mature. Select clean eggs of a standard size and shape, with no hairline cracks. If you need to mark them, use a soft pencil.

The eggs can be stored in a cool place (12 to 15°C/54 to 59°F) for about a week – the longer you keep them, the fewer will hatch. Store them pointed end downwards and alter their position daily (prop the egg-box at an angle and swap sides each day).

You can buy fertile eggs from breeders, poultry markets or even online (but make sure you are buying from a reputable source). Hatching eggs can be sent through the post but courier is more reliable. Eggs that have travelled should rest for at least twelve hours in a cool place.

Eggs only start developing when incubation begins. They must all be put under the broody together so they hatch at the same time.

An odd number of eggs makes a better circle. A bantam may be able to cover about seven, while a large hen might manage eleven or more. If she has too many you will find eggs outside the nest. Remove these or a different one will end up on the outside each time the hen rearranges her eggs. This will result in a poor hatch.

It’s all up to the hen now. Put food and water where she can see it but will have to leave the nest in order to eat and drink. She will only do this once a day.

Feed the hen mixed corn, which is digested slowly and gives her the energy for her long fast. It also reduces the likelihood of her soiling the eggs.

Check she actually leaves the nest, as some hens refuse to budge once sitting. This isn’t good for the hen or the eggs, which need to cool and absorb some oxygen. If necessary, gently lift her off the nest at the same time every day – check for any eggs caught under her wings or legs.

Keep the hen off the nest for about twenty minutes. Take the opportunity to discard any broken eggs and use warm water to clean any that are badly soiled. Turn the eggs if necessary – a hen sitting too tightly may not be turning her eggs, which will result in the embryos becoming stuck to the shell membranes and dying. Make sure your hands are clean and try to handle the eggs as little as possible.

Check that the hen has done a dropping before she returns to the nest – this will be obvious as it will be very large and smelly!

Standard hens’ eggs take twenty-one days to hatch and bantams’ eggs about eighteen to twenty days. Other eggs vary – geese can take up to thirty-five days.

While the hen is off the nest you can ‘candle’ the eggs if you wish. This allows you to check which eggs are fertile and developing. Candling involves concentrating a bright light through the eggshell to view the contents (at one time a candle was used). You can buy an electric candler or make one from a small cardboard box with a light bulb or bright torch inside.

Cut a hole in the top of the box and sit the egg over it. You may need to gently turn the egg to see anything, which will be easier in a dark place (deep-brown eggs are the most difficult to candle). Don’t continue for more than a few seconds, as the heat from the lamp could damage the embryo.

Wait until the egg has been incubating at least seven days before candling. A pattern of spidery veins should be visible – an infertile egg will be clear.

It’s not essential to candle naturally hatched eggs, but it can be useful to know how many are fertile – infertile eggs should be discarded.

A simple egg candler made with toilet roll tube and a torch (see Kids’ Corner) – this egg hasn’t started developing, but the air space at the end can be clearly seen

Candling a fertile egg

Candling at day seven of incubation

Leave the hen undisturbed about three days before hatching is due – provide food and water, but don’t worry if she doesn’t leave the nest.

Before the eggs hatch the hen will hear the chicks cheeping in their shells and she will respond. It will be some time after this before the first chicks appear and the whole process can take two or three days.

It will be tempting to peep in at the new family but try not to disturb them. The chicks can survive for twenty-four hours on the remains of the yolk they take in immediately prior to hatching, but you could place some chick crumbs and water within their reach.

Use a water container the chicks can’t fall into (a little plastic water tower or chick drinker). Wet chicks quickly become chilled and they can drown in even a shallow dish.

The hen will come out of her broody trance when the eggs have hatched, immediately turning into an active and protective mother hen, ready to take on all dangers to defend her chicks.

When she has decided that hatching is complete, the hen will abandon any remaining eggs. She usually knows best about this and the eggs are unlikely to be viable. Shake them gently (be careful they don’t burst!) and if you hear liquid inside, there is no chick.

You can also test eggs by putting them in a bowl of warm (hand-hot) water. If they move around, there are live chicks inside.

If a chick can’t escape the egg it’s likely to be a weak one – if you decide to help it out, it will need extra care in order to survive.

Soon after hatching the hen will proudly lead her chicks into the run. She will teach them how to eat and drink – you only need to supply the materials.

Chicks need to eat regularly so feed a generous ration of chick crumbs. The hen will eat some of these as well, calling the chicks to show them how it’s done. She needs to restore her strength so continue feeding corn, which she will tuck into enthusiastically – she may break some up for the chicks to eat too.

Provide some chick-sized insoluble grit. Don’t feed soluble grit as this will cause development problems.

Be prepared to replenish food and water containers regularly – the hen will now start scratching about energetically and making dust-baths.

While hen and chicks are happily occupied in the run, clean out the nest completely, replacing it with a thick layer of shavings.

Food will quickly be scattered by the energetic new family