broody chicken question

[chickenlover124]

hey this morning i picked up 3 of my 4 eggs beause i left them there for a few days and they were ice cold so i took it they were dead? but then i noticed one of my my chickens sitting o 3 new and 1 old eggs i went to see them and they all ran out of the coop into the run except for the 1 she stayed o her eggs as i approhed her she stood up i touched her and she pecked me and then i touched her again and she pecked me again is she broody i would love to hatch some eggs so should i leave them there? let me know thanks and i have a rooster aswell so...

 

[flytie]

I do beleive she is broody, but those older eggs are either all ready dead, or if they hatch they'll be crippled or in some way disformed.

Hope this helps-flytie

 

[chickenlover124]

ok so if the egg does hatch beause i cant get them because i really dont want to get pecked again what do i do with the chicks?

 

[flytie]

If one of the old eggs does hatch, and turns out fine, then they probably weren't cold for too long. It actually depends on how long they were without warmth, proper humidity, and so on.

If the chick turns out to be crippled, see if it's fixable. A good splint works wonders if placed properly.

But on the off chance the egg DOES hatch, and is unfixably crippled, you may have to judge it according to the degree.--If you have room for a chicken that may need some extra help, go on ahead and keep the little fluff ball. If you have room for it, but it can't eat or drink on it's own, you may have to kill it. If you have no room for a slightly..."special" bird, but it can eat and drink and walk all on it's own. I'm sure some kind-hearted person would take it off your hands.

How far into incubation are your eggs? If you really want to know if they'll live, candle them. Try to get the eggs one at a time while your hen is off the nest, or sleeping. If they're all alive, I guess you could decide how many you want, see what gender they turn out, and start a thread to see if anyone would take your bird.

 

[chickenlover124]

ok thanks and how do i candle them and how far along do they have to be will a iphone flash light be good enough? and will the hen still tend to the eggs if i touch them?

 

[flytie]

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...andling.html&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13650304619682 This is what I got from searching candling. I found a few people who said that IPhine flashlights actually are quicker and easier.

You can candle and egg any age. If it's dead, it'll be a dark ring- it's actually blood. Alive, it should have little veins in the center, spread like tree roots. And as long as your hands are clean, your hen should stay brooding those eggs.

lol. people trying to keep their hens from being broody have to move them several times, so once shouldn't matter.

 

[chickenlover124]

i went out to feed them this morning and she wasnt on the they were kinda cold what shoulld i do?

 

[flytie]

If she dosn't return, I would put them in an incubator. She could just be taking a break, so don't worry too much, but I would watch her for a bit. If she's still acting broody, then check on her later.

I hope everything turns out fine!