# Letting hens raise chicks



## Andreas1120 (May 30, 2017)

Hello All

I have a rooster and several broody hens.
I have been seeing eggs that have a littl bit of red in them so I think some of them are fertile.

Here are my questions.

1) How do I tell which eggs are fertile without cracking them? How much time after laying is it possible to tell?
2) Can I simply let th chickens keep the fertile eggs?
Will they take good care of the chicks? Will the other hens attack the chick?
3) Do I need to provide chik food? How do I keep the other chickens from eating iit?

Thanks

A


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## GitaBooks (Feb 12, 2016)

1) How do I tell which eggs are fertile without cracking them? How much time after laying is it possible to tell?
...........
You can't really tell which ones are fertile, but you can tell which are developing. Just put them under a broody hen for 2-3 days and candle them with a bright light in a dark room. You'll see the beginning of veins on the yolk along with a red spot in the middle. If it's clear, then either the hen hasn't been keeping the egg warm or the egg isn't fertile. If you have 1 rooster to every 6-12 hens then the eggs should all be fertile unless they aren't doing their job correctly. 


2) Can I simply let the chickens keep the fertile eggs?
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If you don't mind having babies. I have like 15 momma hens right now and they all wanted to go broody, most of them on far too many eggs. I had to constantly monitor which hens when broody when, where, and to how many eggs, what type of eggs, and when they were around due to hatch. I had to check under them for any new eggs (these would develop late and die when the mother and chicks left), hatching chicks (these can get attacked by other hens hoping to lay in the nest), or signs of a broken or cracked egg. It isn't as easy usually as just letting a hen sit on some eggs unless she laid all the eggs herself and no other hens are invading her nest. 


Will they take good care of the chicks? Will the other hens attack the chick?
.......
It depends on the individual hen and the flock. Some of my momma hens will attack chicks when they aren't ready for them, but a few days later gladly except them. Some hens will viciously attack other hen's chicks but are great with their own. Some like to sit on eggs but don't like the chicks once they hatch and others break up before the eggs even hatch. To be safe I always move my new momma and her hens into a "broody crate" with a nest, food and water for at least a week while the chicks strengthen up enough to follow her and easily escape from the pecking of other hens. 
Hens seem to do best with at least 2 chicks (the two chicks help one another, especially after they leave their mother) but first-times may do best with less than 7, especially if it's a little chilly and they have to keep them all warm.


3) Do I need to provide chick food? How do I keep the other chickens from eating it?
......
This is a hard one. Yes they need chick food as layer food or adult food can lead to stunting, kidney damage (or liver damage, I forget which) and death. The hen isn't laying so will do fine on chick food as well. However, once the chicks are out of the broody crate then it's an open feast. I provide both chick food and adult food and make sure that calcium is available for my layer hens during the chick season. 


I hope this helps! Letting hens hatch chicks is a lot of fun, the chicks are so much happier with a mother to follow and the hens seem so fulfilled. Eventually they will "wean" their babies, even pecking at them to tell them it's time to leave their side and the chicks will hang out in their own sub-flock together until they are adults. The hen may or may not go broody again that year or the following. Sometimes they seem to only go broody once and never again, other times they do it every few months, again, depending on the breed and the individual. 

Best of luck!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Andreas1120 said:


> Hello All
> 
> I have a rooster and several broody hens.
> I have been seeing eggs that have a littl bit of red in them so I think some of them are fertile.
> ...


Hi and welcome! Red spots do not mean fertile. Look for a tiny white spot on the yolk with a "halo" around it. That would be fertile. I would think with a rooster they would be. Or, if your broody sits on eggs for 6 days, you would be able to use a flashlight and see if there's growth.

Broodies take good care of chicks. While they grow, the hens will eat chick feed too . Just supply some oyster shell for calcium. Most of the time hens are okay together . But people usually give the hen her own nest in a separate area when she gets close to hatching. Make sure she has something to eat and drink nearby.


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