Broody hens...eggs did not hatch...what should I do?

[Miss Mel]

We have two broody hens that have been sitting on eggs that have not hatched, and they are way past the time they should have hatched by.

Should I just remove them? I feel horrible doing that to them, but I'm afraid they will just keep sitting on them.

 

[sourland]

Are you 100% certain that they have gone beyond 21 days? If so, I would remove the eggs. Very frequently hens sharing a common nest have poor hatch rates.

 

[Miss Mel]

Yes, it's definitely well beyond the 21 days. Do they have to be removed at night, or does it not matter?

Since I'm new to this, why is it that hens sharing a nest have poor hatch rates?

Will they actually "grieve" when the eggs are removed, or will they act normally?

Sorry for all the questions.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[sourland]

You can remove them at any time, and it might be a good idea to lock the hens away from their nest site until they stop being 'clucky'. When hens share a common nest they sometimes push and shove one another and steal eggs from one another. During this process eggs may become cracked or chilled reducing viability. Some hens co brood successfully - mine have not. They will be out of sorts because their hormones are telling them to remain broody until chicks arrive, but I don't think that it equates to grieving. Most are here to do their best at answering questions.

 

[Kev]

I agree with sourland, two hens one nest usually results in a poor hatch rate, especially if they don't maintain two distinct 'cups'. I've tested the eggs under two broodies and always found some eggs that were just warm or even cool to the touch. So it can be a case of the embryos getting chilled to point of death and then the eggs get rotated around.....

You can take the eggs away whenever you want. Or you can get day old chicks and tuck them under the hens, they will extremely readily accept them. It usually helps the bonding if you tuck them after dark so they have the whole night to bond... with eggs the chick and mother hen bonds before hatching because they can hear each other before the chicks emerge.

 

[Miss Mel]

Thank you both for your advice!