New to this

[hazchick]

Hi all new to chicken being broody - so on dec 24th I noticed hen was broody then since that day she only came out to eat drink dust bath about 5 days ago she stopped coming out at all is extremely grumpy so technically today is day 21 so my questions are how long should I leave her on the eggs ? Unfortunately the other chickens have laid eggs in the box so she has added them to her collection thanks I’m in the Great Southern of Western Australia

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@Ridgerunner should be able to help you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are a couple of potential issues that makes this a bit complicated. Is she able to cover all the eggs she is now sitting on? If the hen cannot cover all of the eggs she is incubating, one or more can get pushed out, cool off, and die. Then it gets pushed back under her and another gets pushed out to die. You often do not get good hatches when this happens. I don't know if the number of eggs got high enough for this to happen.

The other issue is that you can have what we call a staggered hatch. When incubation starts spread out like that the chicks hatch time is going to be spread out. The chicks can live on the yolk that they absorb before hatch for 72 hours or more before the hen has to take them off of the nest to find food and water. But at some point she usually leads the chicks that have hatched off of the nest and abandons the ones that have not hatched. Staggered hatches can be very stressful.

This doesn't do you any good now but for the future the way I avoid these issues is that when a hen goes broody I collect all the eggs I want her to hatch. I mark them (I use a black Sharpie) and start them all at the same time. Then, every day after the others have laid, I check under her and remove any that don't belong.

Don't worry about not seeing the hen come off of the nest. Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up a lot of excess fat. This fat is mostly what she lives off of while broody so she can take care of the eggs instead of being off of the nest and looking for food or water. I've seen a hen come off of the nest twice a day and stay off for over an hour each time, I had one come off once a day and stay off 15 minutes, and sometimes I never see one come off of the nest but I know she is because there is no poop in the nest. All these had good hatches.

Some people worry about an egg going bad (a rotten egg) if an egg doesn't develop or it stays under the hen too long. It doesn't quite work that way. If bacteria gets inside the egg it will grow and cause a rotten egg, whether the egg is developing or not. If bacteria does not get inside the egg the egg will not go rotten for months. If an egg gets broken on the others or if a blob of poop or mud gets on the egg then bacteria can easily get inside. If a chick hatches it can get another egg dirty but you aren't there yet. But if that doesn't happen you are not under any schedule because of this concern. If you notice a rotten egg smell, sniff the individual eggs and remove any that stink.

So what can you do this time?

If the hen cannot cover all of the eggs I'd want to remove some so she can. Try candling if you can and remove any that are clear. Mark the rest and leave them under her. If she can cover all of the eggs mark them without candling. In either case, remove any unmarked egg each day after the others have laid.

Typically I'd say to give them until day 25 to hatch. Some can actually be that late. That 21 day thing is a guideline, not a law of nature. But yours is a staggered hatch. As long as you don't smell a rotten egg I'd leave the hen on there until a chick hatches, even if that takes two more weeks. She should have plenty of excess fat to carry her that far. After that I'd start to be concerned.

It is very possible you will see several chicks hatch in the next day or two. Even under a broody hen it is not unusual for them to hatch a couple of days early or late. That can cause a lot of worry when that happens until you see it a time or two. People have tossed eggs out and then wished they had waited a day or two. Be patient and let us know how this turns out. It could be a disaster or it could still work out pretty well.

 

[hazchick]

Wow ridgerunner thank you so much for replying
I have just checked her she has 11 eggs under her she can successfully sit on all of them .I have put a chook wire dome around her to separate her from the others as yesterday I noticed they all seemed to be harassing her.
I will continue to check her several times a day like I have been since she went broody until next Sunday ( which would be day 28 )then I will candle the eggs
can I pick up the eggs to candle them so close to possible hatching ?
I have been considering getting rid of 1 of my roosters will this affect the broody hen and hatchlings in anyway
sorry for all the questions and thank you for ur amazing advice and knowledge

 

[BigBlueHen53]

With the cage around her, she won't be able to get off the nest to go eat, drink, dust bathe or poop, will she? Personally, I think @Ridgerunner's suggestion of marking the eggs under her and daily removing any others is a very good idea. When we had broodies, we drew circles around them so we could easily tell which ones were supposed to stay without handling them.

So excited to see your chicks when they hatch - or rather when Mother Hen lets you see them, lol!

 

[hazchick]

With the cage around her, she won't be able to get off the nest to go eat, drink, dust bathe or poop, will she? Personally, I think @Ridgerunner's suggestion of marking the eggs under her and daily removing any others is a very good idea. When we had broodies, we drew circles around them so we could easily tell which ones were supposed to stay without handling them.

So excited to see your chicks when they hatch - or rather when Mother Hen lets you see them, lol!

the area I have her enclosed in is large enough for he too still roam eat drink poop dust bath in sorry for u thinking I just confined her to the nest box

 

[BigBlueHen53]

the area I have her enclosed in is large enough for he too still roam eat drink poop dust bath in sorry for u thinking I just confined her to the nest box

Perfect! Can't wait to see those babies! Are you excited? When we had 4 BO sitting on eggs, I was a bundle of nerves!

 

[Ridgerunner]

can I pick up the eggs to candle them so close to possible hatching ?

Why would you candle the eggs at that point? If you are going to use that information to make a decision, then candle. If you are not going to use the information for anything other than curiosity I would not but it probably won't hurt anything. You don't know how close any might be to hatching. The only time I'd say definitely do not candle is if you see one has pipped.

I have been considering getting rid of 1 of my roosters will this affect the broody hen and hatchlings in anyway

It should not. I'd get rid of him.

sorry for all the questions

Keep asking. Hopefully others will continue to chime in. It would be a shame if something bad happened because you were afraid to ask a question.

 

[hazchick]

Why would you candle the eggs at that point? If you are going to use that information to make a decision, then candle. If you are not going to use the information for anything other than curiosity I would not but it probably won't hurt anything. You don't know how close any might be to hatching. The only time I'd say definitely do not candle is if you see one has pipped.


It should not. I'd get rid of him.


Keep asking. Hopefully others will continue to chime in. It would be a shame if something bad happened because you were afraid to ask a question.

Morning
so I had a chick hatch on tuesday the 17th and nothing since so should I just keep waiting ?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd leave them alone until the hen brings that chick off of the nest to find it food and water. Since you don't have an incubator that hatch is then over and you should clean out the nest.