Broody advice

[Hopeful homesteader]

I have 2 broody hens that were sitting on eggs, when I last candled them there were at least 6 eggs that were alive and now all the eggs are gone. The eggs were set on May 12th or 13th so this coming Fri-Sat would have been hatch day, my husband put them out this time instead of me and I forgot to mark the calendar but I'm positive it was that Friday or Saturday so they've been sitting a full 2 weeks now. Early on some eggs got smooshed and yolk got on all the eggs so I suspect they got bacterial growth that led to them dying off 1 by 1. Now I'm not sure if I should give them more eggs now and let them try again or try to break them. I hate that they've wasted all this time but I also know if they sit too long that could be bad for their health, I'm just not sure how long it too long. I do know the hens have been coming out twice nearly every day to eat, drink and, poop which is more than they did last year. If I gave them more they'd be sitting 2 weeks longer than normal. I've never lost all the eggs before and idk what the best option is, what would you guys do?

 

[BDutch]

Sorry the hatch didn’t work . Are you sure the eggs were bad? After two weeks the eggs are mostly black (embryo filling up the space and egg no longer transparant)

I you tossed the eggs away I would break the hens for their own health. And start next time you have another broody. Or next month with these two after they went back to normal laying hens.

 

[BDutch]

I never heard of bacterial growth in hatching eggs before. But I don’t say it isn’t possible. As far as I know, the bloom and the egg shell protect the embryo.

I even had a hen pooping on the eggs last hatch, and had a good outcome. 9 chicks from 11 eggs.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

I never heard of bacterial growth in hatching eggs before. But I don’t say it isn’t possible. As far as I know, the bloom and the egg shell protect the embryo.

I even had a hen pooping on the eggs last hatch, and had a good outcome. 9 chicks from 11 eggs.

I don't know if it was a bacterial issue, it's just speculation on my part. I never toss out the eggs right away, if I suspect it's died I candle them multiple times looking for movement for a day or 2 before cracking them open and so far I haven't cracked a live egg and I sure hope I never do. I normally candle at days 4, 10, 18 to remove infertile or early quitters and then leave them alone so by the time I looked the veins were already breaking down and some were starting to smell. I always expect some losses but I wasn't prepared to lose all of them.