4 of 7 hatched. Broody moved off nest.

[TheRusticRebel]

Have you candled them again to see what they look like inside?

Sounds like the hen has determined they are duds.. and I essentially would have to take her word or in this case her actions in the matter for it.

There can be many reasons for them not to hatch.. I don't think that 7 was too many eggs even for a pullet.

Beings you had some hatch early.. it could be she runs a little hotter body temp.. part of the reason hatching has an approximate average length.

Sometimes I get 100% hatch with broodies and others not (same within the incubator even when it's dialed in the same for all hatches).. the eggs are not the same eggs perhaps in the same season and such.. there are many, many variables.

Even oviposition for the hen laying determines development level of the embryo and with eggs possibly coming from separate hens.. maybe blah blah blah blah.. my silly way of saying I know nothing but still having fun trying to share.

OK thanks. I appreciate that. She's moved off again and is showing her brood how to get water and food. They are eating a drinking. One egg she moved back into the original nest 2 other she left where she had moved to. Being that they have no signs of hatching I will assume they are duds. I will candle them again to see what's up though.

 

[TheRusticRebel]

@EggSighted4Life Hmm. Maybe there is some hope? She just moved back o into her original nest. Took 2 of the 3 eggs with her. I watched her tuck them under. One I was able to candle first. It had a air sac on the wide end and I saw and felt some movement but haven't seen or heard anything from it on the outside.

 

[TheRusticRebel]

Have you candled the eggs?

I got.to do one so far see previous post.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different hens are different sizes and eggs can vary in size. A tiny bantam may have trouble covering 4 regular sized eggs. Who knows how many bantam eggs a large hen can cover. I want my hens to be able to comfortably cover all the eggs plus two more in case another hen lays an egg with her.

I typically give my broody hens 12 eggs the size that they lay in good weather. In colder weather I reduce that so the hen can cover all of her chicks as they grow, usually 8 eggs. I had one hen that had trouble covering a dozen so I reduced that to 10 eggs. I have gone as high as 15 eggs. I once had a hen hide a nest and bring off 18 chicks. I never found her nest so I don't know how many eggs she had. I'm going through all this as it sounds like you want to go all broody hens and this might help you on how many eggs.

Some of my broody hens hatch 100% of the eggs but most don't for various reasons. I've had broody hens complete the hatch and come off within 24 hours of the first one pipping. I've had broody hatches stretch into the third day before bringing them off of the nest after the first one hatching. I let my broodies handle all of that. They know more about being a chicken than I ever will.

The chicks absorb the yolk before hatch and can typically go more than 72 hours without eating and drinking while waiting on the later chicks to hatch. When they get hungry or thirsty they peep at the hen to tell her so she leads them off of the nest for food and water. It sounds like that may have happened to yours. I find it interesting that you were able to get her back on the nest and to accept the eggs. I don't see that but I don't try to get her back on the nest. Since the chicks have been fed and watered she may be able to finish hatching at least another chick. Good luck!

 

[TheRusticRebel]

Different hens are different sizes and eggs can vary in size. A tiny bantam may have trouble covering 4 regular sized eggs. Who knows how many bantam eggs a large hen can cover. I want my hens to be able to comfortably cover all the eggs plus two more in case another hen lays an egg with her.

I typically give my broody hens 12 eggs the size that they lay in good weather. In colder weather I reduce that so the hen can cover all of her chicks as they grow, usually 8 eggs. I had one hen that had trouble covering a dozen so I reduced that to 10 eggs. I have gone as high as 15 eggs. I once had a hen hide a nest and bring off 18 chicks. I never found her nest so I don't know how many eggs she had. I'm going through all this as it sounds like you want to go all broody hens and this might help you on how many eggs.

Some of my broody hens hatch 100% of the eggs but most don't for various reasons. I've had broody hens complete the hatch and come off within 24 hours of the first one pipping. I've had broody hatches stretch into the third day before bringing them off of the nest after the first one hatching. I let my broodies handle all of that. They know more about being a chicken than I ever will.

The chicks absorb the yolk before hatch and can typically go more than 72 hours without eating and drinking while waiting on the later chicks to hatch. When they get hungry or thirsty they peep at the hen to tell her so she leads them off of the nest for food and water. It sounds like that may have happened to yours. I find it interesting that you were able to get her back on the nest and to accept the eggs. I don't see that but I don't try to get her back on the nest. Since the chicks have been fed and watered she may be able to finish hatching at least another chick. Good luck!

She had pushed one of the 3 that I pushed under her after she moved off of the original nest back into the original nest but wasnt sitting on it. Tthen when i went out to check on her she had gone outside the coop.for a minute. Left her 4 chicks in the coop. I grabbed the one she pushed into the nest and that's the one I grabbed and brought inside so I could candle it. When I went back out there she was nudging one of the others in to the original nest and tucking it under her. I put the one i had next to her and she tucked it under too. Now she's sitting back on the originals nest again.

 

[Henora]

did she end up hatching any more eggs?