BROKEN EGGS IN BROODY NEST

[16 paws]

Hope I am in the right place for this question.
Hi everyone,
I have a broody Jersey Giant hen sitting on 13 eggs since Thursday. I just went to check on her and there were 2 broken eggs. The other eggs are pretty soiled with dried up egg and nesting material. I tried to clean one with a moist towel but I broke one trying to clean it.
Should I start her over with new eggs tonight or just let her be?
I just had to start over with her last week because I moved her. The other hens were crowding into her nest area to lay. Once I moved her she would not sit on the eggs again. Once I let her out she went right back to the old nest and started sitting again.
Do the Jersey Giants have a problem breaking eggs because she has broken eggs before when broody. None of the eggs hatched so we just got her chicks from the feed store.
Thanks for all advice...

 

[sourland]

Some extremely big hens just don't get it and are too clumsy to be effective setting hens - others do just fine. If other hens are able to access the nest site that just makes things worse.

 

[16 paws]

Some extremely big hens just don't get it and are too clumsy to be effective setting hens - others do just fine. If other hens are able to access the nest site that just makes things worse.

Her eggs are soiled from the broken ones, my question is,
should I give her all new eggs or will the soiled ones still hatch ok?

 

[sourland]

Well, I guess it depends upon how badly the eggs are soiled. Why not let them go a day or so and then candle them? Bigger problem is determining WHY the eggs are being broken. To simply replace the eggs without solving the problem probably won't improve results.

 

[16 paws]

Well, I guess it depends upon how badly the eggs are soiled. Why not let them go a day or so and then candle them? Bigger problem is determining WHY the eggs are being broken. To simply replace the eggs without solving the problem probably won't improve results.

I think I know what happened.
I tried to move her and her eggs to a safer spot in the coop. I wanted to let her have privacy as the other hens were practically laying on top of her to get to her spot in the triple communal nest box. Well, she wouldnt have any of the new spot and let her eggs go cold. So I let her go back to the old communal nest box and I put chicken wire all around it with one side open for her to jump down and stretch her legs and eat.I added new eggs at this time. It was about 4 or 5 days ago. She couldnt find the spot to get out right away and sort of panicked. I think she stepped on them at that time. She is a big Jersey Giant. She now knows how to get in and out and is sitting tight.
I just wonder if the eggs will hatch if they are soiled from the breakage. I tried to clean them but thought I was doing more harm than good.
thanks
Marie

 

[roxysmydog]

Hi, I have the same problem. I have a newbie broody (broody for about a month before giving her eggs) sitting on 12 eggs for the last 5 days. Well I checked on the nest today and one of the eggs was broke and the rest are filthy. Did your eggs hatch or did you start over?

 

[16 paws]

Hi, I have the same problem. I have a newbie broody (broody for about a month before giving her eggs) sitting on 12 eggs for the last 5 days. Well I checked on the nest today and one of the eggs was broke and the rest are filthy. Did your eggs hatch or did you start over?

I decided to let her stay on them.
It was a disaster, out of 13 eggs only one hatched and I found it dead by her head. I think it hatched at night. I don't know what happened to it. It was out of the shell and still wet. I don't think she would hurt it because she has raised babies before.
Maybe the bacteria from the broken eggs effected all of them. The eggs were disappearing. She only had 6 at the end. I don't know if she knew they were bad and cracked them or maybe she was just too heavy because I had it so none of the other chickens could get into her box and mess with them. So I threw out the last 5 and went to the feed store and got her 3 babies. I slipped them under her at night as I took out the bad eggs.
She is a great Mother and at less than 2 weeks has integrated them into the flock of 12 others. My other chickens dare not even look at her chicks because she will flog them! Lol And being a Jersey Giant she is really a lot bigger than all of them!
Is your broody a Jersey Giant also?
Marie

 

[roxysmydog]

What a bummer! Well I have 10 eggs left out of 12. I also discovered some of the chickens have fleas (most likely from the mice and moles that have been living under the coop). So I dusted every girl and completely cleaned the coop today. I changed the broody's nest bedding and the eggs looked slightly cleaner, probably from mom moving them around and such. I am going to continue to let her sit and see what happens. They are too young to candle just yet. I was hoping to try and not interfere at all and let nature do it's thing but we'll see what happens over the next couple weeks. The eggs were just (female) leghorn/(roo) EE mix so nothing super important but I was curious to see what the babies would turn into. The broody hen is a pullet that is only 8 months old and is an EE. I am very surprised she is broody considering her age and her breed (EE's don't really go broody, from what I have seen anyways).

I had a BCM that went broody a while ago so I finally decided to put eggs under her and only two hatched. While she was sitting on them, the EE and another BCM were fighting for the nest constantly. Well the EE happen to be sitting on the first hatched egg when it hatched and I think she smothered the baby because I found it dead under her. I moved broody mom and the rest of the eggs inside but only one hatched, one had been gone for a while, the third died during hatch before pip. But originally I had given that broody about 10 eggs and some had broke along the way. I learned a few things before giving my second broody eggs and was hoping for a better hatch but now I'm nervous with the broken egg contamination. I think the EE is ready to be a mom though because she is dutifully sitting on the eggs this time and not on and off like she was the first time.

My other BCM is still acting broody so I was debating on giving her eggs or possibly just finding some chicks for her. I'm going to see if she still is broody tomorrow after all the coop cleaning today and see how it goes. A friend just hatched some babies and I'm thinking of trying to get her to accept those babies. And I'm about sick of all my hens deciding they are broody! I have another EE that seems to be considering it! lol.

 

[16 paws]

What a bummer! Well I have 10 eggs left out of 12. I also discovered some of the chickens have fleas (most likely from the mice and moles that have been living under the coop). So I dusted every girl and completely cleaned the coop today. I changed the broody's nest bedding and the eggs looked slightly cleaner, probably from mom moving them around and such. I am going to continue to let her sit and see what happens. They are too young to candle just yet. I was hoping to try and not interfere at all and let nature do it's thing but we'll see what happens over the next couple weeks. The eggs were just (female) leghorn/(roo) EE mix so nothing super important but I was curious to see what the babies would turn into. The broody hen is a pullet that is only 8 months old and is an EE. I am very surprised she is broody considering her age and her breed (EE's don't really go broody, from what I have seen anyways).

I had a BCM that went broody a while ago so I finally decided to put eggs under her and only two hatched. While she was sitting on them, the EE and another BCM were fighting for the nest constantly. Well the EE happen to be sitting on the first hatched egg when it hatched and I think she smothered the baby because I found it dead under her. I moved broody mom and the rest of the eggs inside but only one hatched, one had been gone for a while, the third died during hatch before pip. But originally I had given that broody about 10 eggs and some had broke along the way. I learned a few things before giving my second broody eggs and was hoping for a better hatch but now I'm nervous with the broken egg contamination. I think the EE is ready to be a mom though because she is dutifully sitting on the eggs this time and not on and off like she was the first time.

My other BCM is still acting broody so I was debating on giving her eggs or possibly just finding some chicks for her. I'm going to see if she still is broody tomorrow after all the coop cleaning today and see how it goes. A friend just hatched some babies and I'm thinking of trying to get her to accept those babies. And I'm about sick of all my hens deciding they are broody! I have another EE that seems to be considering it! lol.

Let me know how your hatch goes will you? I am curious about the soiled eggs being the problem in my hatch that went south!Lol I wonder if Penny suffocated the one that hatched also?
I know what you mean about the broodys, I now have co-broody bantam cochins sitting on some eggs. Here they are. Taffy and Freckles sharing the eggs. When one gets off the nest to eat and such the other one rolls the eggs under her!
Marie

 

[roxysmydog]

Here is from before the first hatch when they all were fighting for the nest (on the floor) and then I had other girls laying eggs in the boxes. Lol silly girls! For this next hatch I actually made a nest box for the EE and put the eggs in there. That way she is more secluded and won't get pooped on (the roosts are above them). But then eggs still got broken.

I'll keep you post on the progress. Hopefully I can candle in a few days and check for progress.