accidental hatchlings coming!

[sittinghenlove]

Ugh! I have too many hens for my zoned property and about 3 weeks ago I noticed one of my hens was sitting. I missed 2 eggs in my daily clean up, did some rough calc's and figured out that she was sitting on them for a week by that time. It's the end of week 3 I'm expecting them any day now but last night she stopped sitting on them. I put them under her and she did stay on them but I just caught her off of them again and while the eggs were super cold, they weren't hot like usual. Are they dead? Is this normal toward the end of the incubation?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Them being cold doesn't necessarily mean they're dead. Some of my sitting hens will get up on hatch day, but they're always quick about it. If it's her first time, the movement and noises from the eggs may have freaked her out. Or, something in her little chicken brain is just telling her shes done sitting.
If you have an incubator, maybe you'll want to bring them in. Or, maybe not. But, if she doesn't want to brood them anymore, there really isn't anything you can do about it.

Good luck, broodies can be frustrating at times!

 

[sittinghenlove]

Thanks for the info. Is there a way to tell they are about to hatch? Do you just see little cracks until they come out?