Kansasdeerslayer
PMA Member
With the freezing overnight temps, do the eggs survive the night, or are the hens wasting there time dropping eggs right now?
Nests
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nannyslayer
New Member
They'll make it. An ole hens butt is pretty warm. Only reason I know is we used to have a few tame turkeys and the hen had a nest really early one year. We ended up having 3 freezes after she laid them and still had a pretty good hatch from her.
gundog870
Premium Platinum Member
I thought at this point of the year the hens were leaving their nests at night. I thought that they only sat on their nest 24 hours a day was after they layed them all. I know that that doesnt make sense but that is what I thought.
Anyone know the TRUTH behind the dirty egg layers. I could really do without hens. (just let gobblers clone themselves)
Anyone know the TRUTH behind the dirty egg layers. I could really do without hens. (just let gobblers clone themselves)
turkeyriver
PMA Member
The hens will not sit on their nests until all of their eggs are laid. That's why extremely cold weather could hurt some early layers. The eggs are pretty tough though. A little snow doesn't hurt them. Anything laid now is fine. The biggest problem is nest raiders like coon or skunks. Next on the list is probably mushroom hunters. DNR research has shown that once a hen starts to incubate the eggs, sitting 24 hrs. a day, even being flushed off it once may cause her to abandon it and start over. The longer she has been siting on it the more likely she will return to it but the bottom line is that they shouldn't be disturbed.
Kansasdeerslayer
PMA Member
We had a few 16 degree nights last week. I don't know what yoke's freeze temp is, but if they were filled with water they would have burst open.
Somebody stick a chicken egg in the freezer and see if it splits open after several hours
Somebody stick a chicken egg in the freezer and see if it splits open after several hours
Kansasdeerslayer
PMA Member
[ QUOTE ]
DNR research has shown that once a hen starts to incubate the eggs, sitting 24 hrs. a day, even being flushed off it once may cause her to abandon it and start over. The longer she has been siting on it the more likely she will return to it but the bottom line is that they shouldn't be disturbed.
[/ QUOTE ]
I can say first hand that this is true. Last spring I was walking through a thick area of woods and sprung a hen. I didn't know she was there until she was 5 feet away and she got up and ran. I looked where she was and there was a nest with 10 eggs. I walked off about 40 yards and plopped down to see if she would come back. She stood 40 yards back and yelped for 15 minutes straight. Then she left. I came back 2 weeks later to check the nest and it was abandoned and crawling with bugs.
I was very upset with myself when I saw that. So please if you bump a hen off the nest, vacate as quickly as possible and hopefully she'll come back.
DNR research has shown that once a hen starts to incubate the eggs, sitting 24 hrs. a day, even being flushed off it once may cause her to abandon it and start over. The longer she has been siting on it the more likely she will return to it but the bottom line is that they shouldn't be disturbed.
[/ QUOTE ]
I can say first hand that this is true. Last spring I was walking through a thick area of woods and sprung a hen. I didn't know she was there until she was 5 feet away and she got up and ran. I looked where she was and there was a nest with 10 eggs. I walked off about 40 yards and plopped down to see if she would come back. She stood 40 yards back and yelped for 15 minutes straight. Then she left. I came back 2 weeks later to check the nest and it was abandoned and crawling with bugs.