When it comes to backyard chickens, naturally chicken hatching eggs is an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s easy to do when you let nature more or less take care of everything.
First, not all chickens are going to sit on eggs. And there are some that excel at sitting on and hatching eggs and caring for chicks.
Brahma's and silkies make great brooders and mothers.
You need to make sure you are getting fertile eggs. Remember, you can get eggs without a rooster, but not fertilized eggs.
How many you put under her will depend on her size. She needs to be able to completely cover them with her body.
You should move the mother hen and her eggs to a separate coop and nesting area before the chicks are due to hatch. There are a couple of reasons for this.