Bantams sitting, URGENT please answer?

Question

hello

i have two bantam hens, a boy and 5 chicks that are bout 8 weeks old. One of the bantams is sitting on eggs but went off this morning and the other one took her place, the one who is on now does not want to go off and the other one doesn't want to go back on. Can someone please explain what is goin on and if we need to worry about the eggs getting neglected. If it helps to know the first one had been sitting ion the eggs about a weekand a half ago. Please answer because i would like to know what to do????

thanks

Answer 1

If I am understanding this correctly, you had a pair of hens trade places but the eggs are still being brooded.  If that is right, they aren't being neglected, another hen is caring for them.  A lot of hens aren't particular about whose eggs they are as long as there are some of hers in there, which it sounds like there are.  Some hens aren't great broodies and don't stay on their eggs, other times mom takes a short break and will want to get back on the eggs later.  Regardless, if someone is brooding the eggs, it's not a problem.

Answer 2

do u mind answering ths question found in the link:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

"what is the target training for?" pls answer ths..

next answerer gets 10 pnts sharp!

Answer 3

Hens take turns on eachothers egggs .. its just a nature .. when the mother is too tired or cant genarate enough heat

Answer 4

Sometimes hens are pushed out of the nest box by another hen & then the hen first to sit on them doesn't want the nest box anymore. Be careful though as the hen now sitting on the eggs might abandon them,it happens. The reason to all this could be to do with the "pecking order" the hen pushed off could be lower in the pecking order than the hen now sat on the eggs,so that could be the cause,thet have been known to fight over the eggs,but if the "top hen" wants it she gets it!

Unfortunately,unless you can get hold of a cheep incubator in the next 2 days or when ever she decides she doesn't want them anymore,you will just have to hope that the one sat on the eggs at the moment will stay there. AS there is nothing you can do really that i know of. You can make the chickens stay on them,its a shame,though if they decide not to as the embryos chicks are probably if fertile developing.

So if you have the money,buy a cheep incubator as you can/will be able to use this again if you want,also the chicks will be very friendly if you incubate them as you will be their mummy!

The chicks don't need you with them all the time,as once they have dried under the incubator place them in a box in a warm place with plenty of bedding & feeding 2-3 times a day,this is what i did with a chick! Chicks are fairly easy to look after As you can & we did buy 1day old chicks! Cute or what??!!

Anyway hope this helps & your chook stays on th eggs! x*x