Okay so here is my dilemma.... about 3-4 weeks ago I had 3 hens go uber broody and settle in on what ever egg they laid that day. Last year when I got broody hens I let them do their thing and poof we got 4 cute baby chix. Kids loved it. So I figured I would run with it this year as well. Now total, I have 10 hens 1 rooster. What happened next is when each of my remaining 7 other hens went to lay an egg, one of my broody's would get up and give the box over to a non broody hen who would then lay and egg and leave. The broody would then come back and sit on their egg plus the new egg. All 3 broody hens did this for the other 7 until they were all sitting on like a dozen plus eggs each. It was kind of funny, like all my chickens were determined to not let me steal their eggs. Plus I wasn't all that concerned about it as I had like 5 dozen eggs in the fridge (more than my family would plow through anytime soon) and again the prospect of a bunch of baby chix got my kids, and me, excited. Let's face it baby chix are cute. so I shut the door and separated the rooster and non broody 7 from my broody 3 so I could collect the other eggs again and I could keep track of how old the eggs were and when they would begin to hatch. I gave them their own food and water and privacy. Then one day (about 3 weeks later) I go out to the coop and poof I have one cute baby chic. So now Im thinking okay prob get 1-2 a day for a few days until we are done. Today the chic is 5 days old and all I have been getting are dead babies now. Nothing else is hatching alive or staying alive. And my broody girls have become quite cranky, cant move them very easy unless I wear gloves otherwise I get some pretty sharp pecks from angry mama birds. Now correct me im wrong but I believe I read that once an egg hatches the broody gives up on remaining eggs and tends to the baby. Not one of my broody's have done this they are all steadfast on the eggs and the baby just bounces around in the coop with them. Any ideas why nothing else is hatching alive? This is sort of a new realm of chicken ownership I am embarking on (letting chickens hatch their eggs). Does any of this sound weird? common? uncommon? Are my chickens crazy? Am I crazy? lol and words of wisdom or encouragement would be great.
Daryl
Daryl
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