Broody Hatch

[bloom chicks]

I have a question about my hen. She was sitting on 12 eggs and 10 eggs have hatched thus far. Yesterday and today. There are two more that haven't hatched. Will she continue to sit on them until they hatch?

 

[Me & Jack]

In my experience, broody hens will remain on the nest unless they detect a problem with any remaining eggs (ie. no pipping sounds, no movement, etc.). However, she'll eventually have to get her hatched chicks out for something to eat and drink, so it's possible that when she decides to do this is when she decides to abandon those remaining eggs. You could candle them at that point to see if anything's moving or a beak in the air sac, or hold to your ear to listen for pipping sounds. If they're still in there and alive wait and watch what she does when she returns to the nest. Does she push the eggs back under her or push them out of her way? Or does she sit with her new chicks somewhere else and ignore the eggs completely?

You could also just preempt the worry of it all and just take the eggs and incubate them for a few days to see what happens. If more than 48 hours goes between the last hatch and these two eggs still not hatching I would say the chances the chicks will make it are slim. Momma hens know best: the can hear, smell and feel all kinds of things we can't, and perhaps she knows something about the health or viability of those two babies -- that's why she'd give up on them. But it doesn't sound like that's happened just yet, so give it a bit of time. Let us know what happens.