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Birds--General/getting my bantam to sit.

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Expert: Abi - 3/8/2009


Question
I have a bantam hen who made a nest and laid 5 eggs. I only want 5 chicks so i marked the old and am taking out new eggs, but she wont to start incubating them! I want to let her hatch the chicks naturally but im afraid if she doesn't start soon I'm going to lose the eggs.

Answer
Hello Susan,

You can't make her sit if she doesn't want to. It's also better to put a few more than five in if you want five chicks, as a couple sometimes fail. If you have another hen who is broody then she can be given them to sit on. I would advise getting a broody breed such as a silkie or getting a friend who has a broody hen to incubate the eggs for you. There really isn't any way to push her into it, if the eggs are there and she's not sitting, she wont.

Thanks for your question, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Birds--General

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Abi

Expertise

I CAN'T ANSWER QUESTIONS ON ANIMALS OTHER THAN CHICKENS/DUCKS/GEESE- I WILL TRY BUT THEY ARE NOT MY SPECIALIST SUBJECT- PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT BUDGIES, FINCHES, PARROTS, COCKATIELS OR OTHER 'EXOTIC' BIRDS. I can answer questions on pretty much all CHICKEN breeds, including fancy and bantam birds. I can give advice on how to get the best egg production, brightest yolk colours and darkest egg shell colours, breeding (using broody hens, not incubators), bird problems/illnesses. I can give advice on all aspects of basic chicken care but I breed chickens for my own pleasure only, I do not often show or sell my birds.

Experience

I own and breed a wide range of chickens, but I speciallise in cochins and crevecour bantams; crevecours have a large crest (an afro!) so I can answer questions on problems concerning them; cochins have feathered legs, which leads to no end of problems which I have experienced! I also own a large flock of domestic, rescued 'battery' hens, and a single maran hen, Hilda, who is the matriarch of her flock, so I can give advice on how to get the best colour of maran eggs!

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