Bad broody eggs and 3 day old chick questions

[pbjmaker]

My hens have been broody for 3-4 weeks each and it looks like almost all of their eggs have gone bad, although I don't know why. Could it be the hens keep switching who has which nest? There are 6 broodies in 5 nests. They almost all went broody within a day or two of each other.

Any who I have 4 baby chicks that hatched at work on Tuesday and wondered if anyone has been successful switching out bad eggs for live chicks?

The moms are three banty cochin and a d'uccle. The last d'uccle just started sitting last week so I won't try it with her.

What do you all suggest?

 

[debilorrah]

I suspect sabotage from the other hens, and they are rotating the eggs around and you are collecting them! I had that happen with my broody - the original three she was sitting on were marked, and we let her keep the others under that the other hens put there, but they were bad. NOW, I seperate the broodies from the rest.

 

[Oceanseve]

I have a BO that started brooding about two weeks ago dispite me collecting eggs constantly. She stopped laying 3-4 days ago. Today we moved the coop and put some 4 week olds with her. About 30 minutes later I went out and she was cleaning (preening is the right word right?) one of them

I think it worked.

 

[pbjmaker]

We marked all the eggs that we were letting them sit on. The eggs developed most the way then quit. They would get up for their daily poo and then forget which box was theirs. I seperated my original broody but at one point there were 9 broody hens and there is not enough space to seperate them all out.

I put the chicks under the two frizzle hens last night - they accepted them but seem to be confused on how to keep them in line. I think one of them is getting a hang of it now. My broody that has a two week old chick decided she was going to steal them all for her little flock and that seemed to be the motivation to start being a good mom. Talk about a battle (supervised - no one got hurt)
My husband chose not to step in and let them work it out. The frizzle hen got to keep all her babies and the serama went her way with her one chick.
This is almost harder than parenting human kids...

 

[Oceanseve]

Yeah, I'm about to go out and see if she got them all into the coop for the night. When I peeked earlier she seemed to be herding them pretty well.

 

[lovemychickies]

How are your other hens responding to the broody's adopted babies?

 

[Oceanseve]

I only have one hen, so great

She left them all outside so I had to put them in the coop under her (it got below freezing last night). She didn't appreciate these critters being stuffed under her, but I don't care for the elbows and heels in my side every night either

They are all alive this morning though she seems to prefer the buff chics I put in there and is chasing one of the white ones this morning.....