How Lay The Hen On The Eggs?

The chicken in nature chooses a suitable location for the nest, then lays a group of eggs, and the number of chicken eggs ranges from 8 to 15 eggs, at the rate of one egg every day, and when it finishes laying eggs, it begins to lie on it all the time, and only leaves to get On water and food, the hen’s body temperature is approximately 40.5 °-41 ° C, and when she lies on the eggs, she warms them to a temperature of 37.7 °-38.3 °, and the hen is keen to turn the eggs and roll them regularly using her beak, while the humidity factor gets the eggs It is from the surrounding environment, or from the body of the hen, or from any moisture that the hen transfers with her feathers to the nest. The brooding hen often goes out to get her food at times of dusk and early dawn when dew is present on the grass,The hen needs to lay on the eggs for 21 days to hatch, during which time she does not leave the nest and does not lay more eggs, and she becomes aggressive and defensive to protect her eggs and nest.

Factors that cause a hen to lay eggs

It is difficult to determine when a hen becomes incubator, but there are some factors that cause a hen to lay eggs, which are:

What makes a hen become a brood hen is a combination of associated factors, which are hormonal activity in the hen, instinct, and maturity.

An adult hen cannot lay eggs in her first laying season.

The hen lays eggs in the spring, as she needs warm weather to raise chicks, so the hen will not lay in the winter.

Some types of chickens do not lay on eggs, the most prominent example of which is the hybrid chicken that rarely lays on the eggs, as the instinct to lie down has been genetically removed from them.

Some types of chickens tend more than others to lay eggs more than once during the year, such as the cochin chicken, the orange Orpington chicken, and the silky chicken.

How to make a hen lay eggs

You cannot push the hen to become a broody hen except on her own, but some of the conditions for incubating eggs can be followed to encourage the hen to lay eggs, including the following:

Choose the types of chickens that tend to lay on eggs, from the types mentioned previously, in addition to the Brahma chicken and the Australorp chicken.

Leaving some eggs or what replaces them to avoid breaking them, such as golf balls, soft stones, or plastic eggs, to encourage the hen to lay on them, and when making sure that she has committed to laying on them, they are replaced with real, fertilized eggs.

Provide a dark, private, hidden, and safe place for the hen to urge her to lay on the eggs, using some cloth to provide some secrecy for the location of the nest, which convinces the chickens that the nest is suitable for raising chicks.

Use soothing aromatic herbs in the nest, such as lavender and chamomile, to calm the hen, and make sure to provide suitable and clean materials to build a comfortable and thick nest to keep the eggs from breaking.

Provide ample food and water near the nest, so that the hen does not have to leave the eggs for a long time.

Brood hen signs

It is very easy to know if the chicken is incubating or not, as it notices clear changes in its behavior, the most prominent of which are anger, aggression, and others, such as:

She will refuse to leave the hatching box or nest.

They will fluff their feathers to show that they are larger.

It makes an annoyed growl and pecks at anyone who approaches its nest.

They run back to the hatching nest if they succeed in removing them from it.

You will notice that it plucks its chest feathers to warm the nest and eggs.

How to take care of a hen that lays eggs

Here are some tips to ensure that the hen has a safe and comfortable incubation process to get the chicks:

Providing food and water on a regular basis: This seems very obvious, but it is necessary to ensure that the brood hen feeds at least once a day, because the brood hen consumes 80% less feed than the usual situation, so it is highly vulnerable to malnutrition, and for this reason water must be provided And special food for her and put it near her so that she does not have to move away, and if it is noticed that she never feeds, she must be given foods that help open her appetite in addition to food rich in energy, while making sure that there is clean and pure water at all times.

Providing a safe environment for the incubating hen: The incubating chicken needs a special place to lay eggs away from the rest of the chickens, so provide a private and safe place such as a small chicken coop, to avoid the incubation process being stressful, away from the activities of the rest of the chickens such as laying eggs, fluffing feathers, and building nests. which may cause discomfort to the brooding hen.

Maintaining the cleanliness of the hatching nest: It is necessary to keep the hatching nest clean, because eggs can become stained with dirt and dust, leading to their spoilage. Therefore, you must constantly change the nest lining, and get rid of any waste, broken eggs, or any eggs that give off a rotten smell.

Non-interference in the process of incubating eggs: The more disturbed the incubating hen is, the more likely it is that she will give up lying on the eggs before they hatch, so she must be monitored if she is getting the right amount of food, and the lining of the hatching nest is changed only when the hen leaves the place, and try not to Get as close to her as possible.