Broody brahma hatched two, but nothing from the other 12?

[kelly13]

So my Buff Brahma started nesting on about 15 eggs... A Bantam started first and then the Brahma must of kicked her off and took over. Sunday am we came out to find two fuzzy chicks! Doing well and getting along fine. Today is Wednesday and I haven't seen any others, and mom still isn't coming off the best at all. The temp dropped from 80's to 60's so I am not really sure what is going under there. Although I could have swore I saw a different chick under her, but it was quick and it didn't move. I'm not sure how long I should leave her be, before I have to remove and dead chicks that didn't make it. does anyone have any experience with this?
Also, I did candle the eggs on the 20th of May and they all seemed great! I separated the newly fertile eggs from the developing ones ... So I wouldn't run into this issue.
But she is hard to get too and she isn't fond of getting off the nest, and I'm scared she will smush anything under her if I force it. But I certainly don't want dead babies under there with my brand new babies!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Others intervene but I let the hen alone till she comes off the nest on her own to feed and water the chicks. You can remove any dead or unhatched eggs. She may still feel movement and chirping as to why she hasn't left yet.

 

[kelly13]

So this may sound dumb but she can differentiate between the baby chicks that hatched and the ones in the eggs that may still be moving? I put water and food close to her because it got so cold out she's not going to move away from those chicks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Embryos move a lot and a chick peeps in the egg so she can hear them and with very sensitive nerves in their feet, she can also feel the eggs rocking.

60 degrees isn't all that cold even for baby chicks temporarily. I've had hens hatch chicks down to about 30 and they still took them for walks. Every once in a while they'll sit for the chicks to warm up.

 

[kelly13]

Well up until these hatched she would get up about once a day... To my knowledge she only got up once from the remaining eggs to drink water on a really hot muggy day... I'm just hoping the others hurry up so she can get on with raising these chicks! Thanks for the info... Can you tell this is my first time!? Lol

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I surmised.
If they don't hatch soon, she'll abandon the eggs because, as the saying goes, "a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush". A hen that has live chicks that need to eat and drink eventually will abandon unhatched eggs to save the live ones. It just makes common sense for her to do so. She can't continue to incubate and nurse chicks.
Most hens will get up once a day, more or less, to eat, drink defecate and stretch. I once had a broody on a protracted hatch that she didn't want to abandon and let out one or two nasty broody poos right in the nest.
During hatching, they'll sit tight much longer because they can't carry a chick by the scruff of the neck to bring it back into the nest so they sit tight so the chicks will too, until their siblings hatch.

ETA
Not all eggs hatch. A lot can go wrong along the way. One thing some don't consider is breeder nutrition. If the hen especially but also the rooster don't have optimal nutrition for weeks before lay, that can significantly affect hatch rate - even under a broody. Once the egg is laid, it's a done deal. All the space and nutrition the embryo will get for 3 weeks is already in there. All the setter can do is provide turning and humid warmth.

 

[kelly13]

These are the ones that have hatched so far... Keeping fingers crossed the others get with the program! Lol

 

[kelly13]

Just as you said she left the nest today. Gave up on the eggs... She knew best. She took them out to the run tho and now won't bring them back inside :/