How many times can i repeatedly let my chicken hatch eggs for me.?

Question

i have a hen setting now, and i was wondering if i have fresh eggs ready after the 21 days are up can i replace them with fresh ones and let her do it again? And if so how many times do you think i can do this.? any theories?

Answer 1

Your chicken hatches eggs for you?  Why can't you hatch them for yourself?  I don't think it's fair for you to impose your egg hatching needs on poultry.

Answer 2

Hope i have got you right,you would like to use your hen as an incubator & would like to know how long she can act as one ? do you plan to move newly hatched chicks to a brooder & raise them accordingly ?Sorry,i've been asking questions instead of answering yours.

Where are you getting this constant supply of fertile eggs,if they are  from your own poultry you will also be having a succession of broody hens,let them enjoy motherhood too.

I know of hens taking on another batch of eggs ,but i dislike the idea of imposing on a good natured hen.,besides it can be taxing & exhausting too .

Even with poultry raising one must know when enough is enough .

Answer 3

I think it would be best to give her a break in between sitting.While she is sitting she isnt eating like she normally would and would eventually have some serious nutritional problems or starve to death.If you want to hatch eggs that often you should invest in an incubator.You can purchase a small styrophome one at tractor supply for 50 bucks.

Answer 4

of  course it is possible

but you are just taking advantage of a hen  . .  .  . . who wants to raise a family

Chickens are not factories ..

they are living breathing creatures who neeed and have a life. .

besidees when the 21 days are up there will be chicks ..

what are you going to do with them? thrown them out?..

seriously ....

a chicken should not hatch more then 2-3 times a year .. in the wild they would only do it once ..

so either get another "broody"

or get an incubator.

Answer 5

If she has been sitting for 21 days there are baby chicks in the eggs.  She will sit on eggs until she is dead if you keep this up for long.  The natural thing is that she would be broody until the chicks hatch then she and they start eating bugs, etc.

If you have fertile eggs (you have a rooster) why not let the hen that layed them, sit on them?

You could probably do this twice in a row with no harm to her.