4 weeks and no baby chicks!

[mrskalka]

Hi everyone, I have a slight problem with my broody hen. She has been sitting on eggs for 4 weeks now and no chicks yet. This is my first broody. So I'm new to this. Iv read countless post but I'm still lost.
My questions are:
1. Did my chicks possibly die in the egg or give up?.. I candled last week 2 see if I could see anything.. 4 eggs looked black inside if that makes any sense. Like possibly a chick in them and the other was very veiny( beginning states of formation of chick, I think. )
2. I'm very worried about my hen! She is very skinny! I also think she is getting stressed that the eggs haven't hatched. Should i separate her?
She is inn the coop right now I have a giant dog keenel in thier run that I put my rooster in while some of my girls healed from injury he inflected. Should I make it into a makeshift type coop for her?
3. How much longer should i give them 2 hatch? If she does not hatch should I get her some baby chicks? If so, iv read on giving broody chicks, best to give them at nite, monitor 2 make sure she accepts them, keep chick feed for them and a water dish with marbles to prevent drowning.

If I do get her chicks I was planning on moving her to the dog crate I have since my coop has a ramp, almost positive the chicks could not go up and down it and would fall to thier deaths.


Any advice would be great!!! I'm so worried!

 

[KaylorFarms]

Yes, I would get her baby chicks If hers aren't hatching. She might not adopt them. But it all depends on the chicken. She should if you do it at night.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Also, do you have her feed and water bowl near her?

 

[mrskalka]

Thank you so much for replying! I wentered by TSC earlier and they are out of chicks so I have to wait untill Monday to get her some.
Yes I have water and food for her now. She has had some for about 3 days now. I feel so bad I dnt put any in for her earlier I dnt knw she would need it. I saw her out eatting and drinkin around week 3 but this week she refuses to leave the coop. I'm such a bad chicken mamma she is my first broody.

 

[azygous]

It's time to remove your broody from the nest, collect the eggs and let her return to normal life. Or stick day-olds under her asap. The eggs are not viable. Obviously.

I've had every single egg under a broody not hatch. On the 23rd day, I collected all the eggs. It's kind of anxiety provoking, but I forced myself to open each egg and inspect the contents. I do this as a matter of policy now after a broody has sat eggs and there are unhatched eggs still a couple days after the hatch date.

The eggs under that original broody were all unfertilized. No development, just runny whites and yolks. In later episodes, some unhatched eggs were unfertilized, some had partially developed embryos, and last year, one egg had a fully developed dead chick in it, while there was one normal chick hatched.

There are many reasons for the failures. No one can know what went wrong. But by this time with your broody, there is zero chance any will hatch. To allow your hen to continue to sit is to risk her health and it could kill her.

Baby chicks do just fine with ramps. Unless the ramp is very steep, the broody will lead them up and down. I staple a hand towel on the upper part of the ramp for traction for the tiny feet, since the cleats are usually too far apart to do them any good. I've never had chicks not be able to learn to use the ramp. Keeping things as normal as possible will assist the broody in teaching her chicks how to function in the flock. A cage should be a last resort.

 

[mrskalka]

It's time to remove your broody from the nest, collect the eggs and let her return to normal life. Or stick day-olds under her asap. The eggs are not viable. Obviously.

I've had every single egg under a broody not hatch. On the 23rd day, I collected all the eggs. It's kind of anxiety provoking, but I forced myself to open each egg and inspect the contents. I do this as a matter of policy now after a broody has sat eggs and there are unhatched eggs still a couple days after the hatch date.

The eggs under that original broody were all unfertilized. No development, just runny whites and yolks. In later episodes, some unhatched eggs were unfertilized, some had partially developed embryos, and last year, one egg had a fully developed dead chick in it, while there was one normal chick hatched.

There are many reasons for the failures. No one can know what went wrong. But by this time with your broody, there is zero chance any will hatch. To allow your hen to continue to sit is to risk her health and it could kill her.

Baby chicks do just fine with ramps. Unless the ramp is very steep, the broody will lead them up and down. I staple a hand towel on the upper part of the ramp for traction for the tiny feet, since the cleats are usually too far apart to do them any good. I've never had chicks not be able to learn to use the ramp. Keeping things as normal as possible will assist the broody in teaching her chicks how to function in the flock. A cage should be a last resort.

Thank you for the reply! I was planning on looking inside the eggs she has to see what happened. First thing Monday I'm going to get her some chicks and see how she does. Thank u so much on the towel idea for the ramp! I have some old carpet I can use just for that!!

 

[Little Fuzzy]

I had a broody sitting for 2 months. I was waiting for some chicks to arrive. Everyday I took her off the nest for a few minutes, she pooped, dusted, drank then went right back onto the nest without eating . So I started putting some scratch in the nest right in front of her and she gobbled that down. She didn't lose too much weight. She also didn't accept the chicks. Almost killed them. But I did it during the day, because I was afraid she would throw them out of the nest at night and they would freeze. Good Luck.

 

[mrskalka]

Well i have a chick hatching as we speak!! I went to collect eggs and check.on her. When i picked one of her eggs i heard chirping! I looked colser and saw a peck mark! Im so excitede i hope the lil chick makes it. I checked the other eggs and dnt hear or see and cracks tho.
She will abandon thw orher eggs if thwy dont hatch right?

 

[mrskalka]

e

 

[KaylorFarms]

congratulations!