21 days from what point?

[CityGirlintheCountry]

So my silkie went broody. Sigh. I gave up and put eggs under her. Because A) I'm new at this, B) I wasn't prepared for a broody, and C) Clearly I'm an idiot, I put eggs under her on three days running. On day one I put five eggs under her (that had been laid over the two days before. They came from the stash inside the house.). On day two I put a single freshly laid egg and on day three I did the same. For some reason the second my hen went broody, they all quit laying as a show of support.

I know if you set them in an incubator they hatch on day 21 and you count from the day they were put in the incubator. How do you count the ones a hen is sitting on? Is it 21 days from the point the hen starting sitting or is it 21 days from the point they were laid? Will they hatch out over three days? Will the hen keep sitting even if some have already hatched?

The silkies are going to make me crazy!!!

 

[Akane]

Count from when the eggs were kept at incubating temps so when the hen started to sit on them seriously. Eggs can go a day late or early so since you only sat 1 egg the other 2 days you may not have much of a problem so long as those chicks don't decide to hatch late or all the others early. Some hens will sit for days waiting and some will get up if they don't have anymore hatching after a few hours. Depends on the chicken. Occasionally people have hens abandon the eggs while still hatching and sometimes a hen sits so long she risks starving the chicks that hatched. If you want to be certain have an incubator set up and running at temp by day 20-21 for the first eggs so you can pop any abandoned eggs in it. If you don't have an incubator it is possible to finish hatching a chick that has already pipped under a heat lamp if you can keep the humidity in the area up high enough so the membrane doesn't dry out.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Gotcha.

Thanks!

 

[UrbanMama]

Do you happen to have a 'bator? If so, I'd have it up and running. That way if she does decides she's done before they all hatch you can pop any stragglers right into the bator.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Nope. No 'bator.

We're going to have to wing it. She's pretty determined though so maybe she'll keep at it until all of them are out.

edited to add: It never occured to me that I'd have a broody this early. Heck, half of the little freeloaders haven't even started laying eggs yet. She's clearly a troublemaker. Silkies... what can you do?

 

[shelleyd2008]

You could also have a brooder box set up, then just remove the chicks from her nightly as they hatch. After the hatch is finished, just give the babies back to her. Since they would all be going at the same time, she would be none the wiser.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Good idea. I'll go haul it out of the shed and clean it up again. Have heat lamp, will travel.