23 days, two nests

[Cj Tracker]

My two hens have about 24 eggs between them.
They are a bit staggered and also include 4 duck eggs
Mom's have been faithfully on them.
I'm concerned as I've seen no pips.
Should I check them or leave mom's to their business?
Eggs are very warm, clean and so loved by these girls!! I give mom's some fruits, water when they don't leave so they are well.

 

[Cj Tracker]

Second pic mom repositioning after short break

 

[bobbi-j]

Have you candled them at all? A staggered hatch can be tricky - do you have an incubator and brooder handy, so when the hens take the first-hatched chicks off the nest, you can incubate and brood the late hatchers?

 

[Ridgerunner]

First, are you counting the days properly? That is a real common mistake on here so I'll ask. An egg doesn't have a day's worth of development as soon as it goes under the broody. It takes 24 hours for an egg to have a day's worth of development. It seems intuitive to say "one" when you set the eggs but you really need to wait a day before you start counting. An easy way to check is the day of the week you set them is the day of the week when the 21 days are up. If you set them on Friday the 21 days are up on a Friday.

Should I check them or leave mom's to their business?

With a staggered hatch I'd leave them alone until some hatch and she brings them off the nest. That's hoping some hatch. I see no benefit to stopping her early. You don't know when they are supposed to hatch. If they had all started at the same time my answer would be different.

If you know when the last chicken egg was laid I'd pull the chicken eggs four days after the 21 days are up. Which kind of duck eggs are those? Some varieties are supposed to hatch in 4 weeks, some in five weeks. I'd pull those four days after the last one started was supposed to hatch. The chicks or ducklings can be that late.

 

[Cj Tracker]

So basically what I'm hearing then is, momma hen knows best. I probably did not get the right sit date as I really wasn't thinking the twowere going to be so broody.
The one did push some eggs out of the nest up to about two weeks.
The whole thing is exciting yet stressful!
I think the ducks are runners. They are too lean and long beaked for Pekin. They have very light markings that resemble a mallard but they are mostly upright and mom duck had a nest before for about a week then left. I thought it was due to the cold since it was winter but I think that breed is known not to sit long.
I attached a few pics from a recent bath. Lol

Have you candled them at all? A staggered hatch can be tricky - do you have an incubator and brooder handy, so when the hens take the first-hatched chicks off the nest, you can incubate and brood the late hatchers?

I only have a glass tank setup where I had the chicks originally when I bought them. It has a screen lid so I don't think it would keep the right humidity in there

 

[Cj Tracker]

Have you candled them at all? A staggered hatch can be tricky - do you have an incubator and brooder handy, so when the hens take the first-hatched chicks off the nest, you can incubate and brood the late hatchers?

And I have tried to but I didn't know if this late I should. I'm not really sure what I'm looking at either. It does look like they have the air sacks. I need to read up more on it
Thank you!!

 

[bobbi-j]

I would just let them be at this point. They’ll hatch it they won’t. The hens won’t sit on them forever. They’ll eventually give up.

 

[Cj Tracker]

First chick hatched this morning
She is so cozy under Mom
I have to look up how long she can be there without her own food..

 

[bobbi-j]

First chick hatched this morning
She is so cozy under Mom
I have to look up how long she can be there without her own food..

She’ll be fine for up to 36 hours. Mama probably won’t wait that long to take her off the nest, though. Mine never do, anyway.

 

[Cj Tracker]

Look at this beauty.. I'm so proud of my beautiful, patient momma hen Turnip