Broody egg hoarder hen! Let her hatch all of them of or downsize?

[Backyardtut]

My bantam hen has managed to collect 16 eggs. Only 4 are her own. I was going to allow her to hatch her own 4 and was reluctantly going to allow her to hatch another 4 that were in the same stages of development.. but in the passing week she has managed to take in more eggs from other layers— including a duck. I candled and all are progressing. I was unaware of just how many she was laying on— when I went to candle I wasn’t expecting to have to check 16 eggs I was able to remove 2 eggs that were not developing.. but I’m still left with much more than I’m comfortable with her hatching.
Ideally, I would like her to hatch 4 eggs AT MOST, but I am conflicted. How ethical is it to dispose of developing chick embryos? They’re moving and everything.. I can’t talk myself into getting rid of them.. but I don’t want my hen to be overwhelmed and I don’t want the eggs to progress further and die due to momma hen not being able to properly manage turning and covering all 14.. also, what are the odds of her staying on the nest long enough to hatch the later additions? I believe the eggs range from 3-10 days old.

Thoughts??
Pros and cons of keeping/ disposing?
How to “dispose”?
How to know which ones are relatively close in development?
Do people purchase eggs (I would give them away free) to incubate at different stages of development?
I’m looking for all the options.

Anything is appreciated…
Thank you!!

 

[sourland]

She will most likely leave the nest with her chicks within 24 to 36 hours after the first chick hatches. I would remove the majority of the late developing eggs and stop other hens from accessing her nest.

 

[Stravager]

How ethical is it to dispose of developing chick embryos? They’re moving and everything..

Developing eggs die all the time during incubation - failure to hatch rates can be pretty high even with a mechanical incubator.

 

[Backyardtut]

She will most likely leave the nest with her chicks within 24 to 36 hours after the first chick hatches. I would remove the majority of the late developing eggs and stop other hens from accessing her nest.

I moved her into her own coop yesterday, but I gave her all the eggs. Do you think I should just downsize to her 4 eggs to be sure they’re all on the same hatch schedule?

 

[SueT]

Yes, just give her the 4. All the eggs need to be started on the same day. It will be a nightmare otherwise, trust me.

 

[WoDia]

I agree, give her the 4 eggs she laid. Being a bantam, she can’t handle soooo many. Perhaps she could have 1 or 2 more, IF she’s able to cover the extras. If you’re torn between letting the other embryos hatch or not (and you have the space to raise them), place them into an incubator. IF you choose an incubator, have it up and running before you transfer the remaining eggs.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

If you want to give her more than her own 4 eggs, below is an article link that should help you determine which ones are at the same stage of development. I agree with others that 14 is too many, but she may be able to cover up to 8 IF you see 8 that are at the same stage of development. Mark the eggs you decide to leave with her in case her friends continue to donate more eggs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/development-of-a-chicken-embryo-day-by-day.72537/

 

[Backyardtut]

Chick update:
One hatched successfully, one needed assistance hatching (membrane dried out from heat) and ended up passing after a day. The others didn’t make it, it seems they started to hatch but couldn’t make it in time before getting too hot. I didn’t realize they were hatching so early, otherwise I would have intervened. The one that survived hatched on what should have been day 17.. meaning the eggs were developing in the heat before Lola was even sitting on them. After the assisted chick passed, I raced to TSC and got 4 “Pullets” to keep the lonely chick company. Momma Lolita was so happy to have her babies! Have you ever heard a chicken purr?

First photo is momma and baby waiting on the other hatchlings, second is the babies on their way to meet their new momma!

 

[TwoCrows]

Chick update:
One hatched successfully, one needed assistance hatching (membrane dried out from heat) and ended up passing after a day. The others didn’t make it, it seems they started to hatch but couldn’t make it in time before getting too hot. I didn’t realize they were hatching so early, otherwise I would have intervened. The one that survived hatched on what should have been day 17.. meaning the eggs were developing in the heat before Lola was even sitting on them. After the assisted chick passed, I raced to TSC and got 4 “Pullets” to keep the lonely chick company. Momma Lolita was so happy to have her babies! Have you ever heard a chicken purr?

First photo is momma and baby waiting on the other hatchlings, second is the babies on their way to meet their new momma!

Adorable! ❤

 

[Backyardtut]

Also! I left Lolita with 8 eggs that seemed more developed than the others when I candled them. Lots of movement and big ol eyeballs. 1 hatched on its own, 3 attempted hatching, 1 was assisted, 3 stopped developing at some point. I think they would have been successful if we hadn’t reach triple digits during hatch week. But you never know..

I’m happy we had at least one happy healthy chick, and although we lost the others, 4 TSC babies got a very good home with a very attentive momma!