How many eggs can I put under a barred rock hen?

[cpm73]

Got a broody hen and was wanting to put some eggs under her

 

[starri33]

I've got a hen right now, I'm thinking she's a bantam, she's small so I am keeping her on the 4 eggs I found her on.. so guess it would depend on her size, I think fairly large chickens, so maybe 6 or 7 ? are the eggs all around the same date of being laid? that way they all should start hatching about the same time.

 

[besorto]

My barred rock sat on around 18 eggs once and they all hatched lol

 

[pennyJo1960]

My silky hatch eggs for me they can take 6 but will co hatch often with a dozen eggs easy

 

[cpm73]

I've got a hen right now, I'm thinking she's a bantam, she's small so I am keeping her on the 4 eggs I found her on.. so guess it would depend on her size, I think fairly large chickens, so maybe 6 or 7 ? are the eggs all around the same date of being laid? that way they all should start hatching about the same time.

They were paid today I've got a dozen I could put under her

 

[sourland]

Realistically, as many as she can cover. Given a good bowl shaped nest a full sized hen should be able to easily cover and incubate a dozen eggs.

 

[sylviethecochin]

It does vary a bit, but she can definitely cover eight, and almost certainly more. The key is building the nest up into a bowl shape so that she can cover the eggs efficiently, with minimal loss of body heat out the sides. Then give her an egg at a time until she's setting on all of them, and you don't see any eggs peeking out the sides.

I have a duck setting on seventeen right now, and a bantam cochin setting nine standard eggs. She's set up to a dozen in the past, but I've got three other broody hens, and I'm limiting numbers.

I've been told that the general rule of thumb is ten of the chicken's own eggs, but I usually manage to fit many more under there.

 

[cpm73]

They were laid today I've got a dozen I could put under her

 

[sylviethecochin]

Also, they don't have to have been laid today. A nesting hen lays an egg every day until she's ready to set. Since a hen usually collects about twelve eggs, the oldest has been sitting in that nest for eleven days before she starts to set. I'll set eggs up to three weeks old with good hatch rates.

 

[cpm73]

I knew they didn't have to be the same day I get about a dozen some days 18 I cross a speckled Sussex rooster with white leghorn and get awesome laying hen that lay giant eggs I'll save a couple days worth of eggs and save the best 12 and put them under her and see how she does