Broody Hen, 1 chick, 3 eggs left😬

[Hi_imlaurenn]

Hi all!

So I have a broody bantam hen who has been sitting on eggs from around Jan 20th. 1 egg was hers (this one hatched Monday 2/8) currently I have a silkie egg that has externally pipped (hoping to find a baby in the am 2/10) and I have 2 OE eggs that are moving around and look like they have internally pipped. (These were an experiment I didn't think they were even fertile)

So right now my biggest concern is will mama abandon those last eggs (the OE) because they are taking too long to hatch? I've closed off the nest box she's in (so no chicks fall out) and on the far end I've added chick starter and some water.
I have a pen setup for her and the babies but I wanted to wait to move them down until she hatched more. Biggest problem is that I'm in Western NC, so if she comes off the eggs they can end up cold. I'm also concerned she will ditch them while I'm at work so I won't be able to move them in time....So I guess overall my questions are:

-Will she stay on the last two with food and water nearby? Or is it possible she will ditch them?
-should I just go ahead and move her tomorrow night 2/10 into her pen with her babies and eggs or should I leave her in the nest box?
-or should I move the last two eggs under a different broody and when they hatch sneak them with mama? (or will this mess up my other broody hen?)

I also do have the option to remove the babies and raise them in the house but I really wanted her to take care of them. These were all set at the same time I think the bantam hatched first because it was so small (oegb).

Any advice and insight will be greatly appreciated! thank you!

 

[janiedoe]

Hi all!

So I have a broody bantam hen who has been sitting on eggs from around Jan 20th. 1 egg was hers (this one hatched Monday 2/8) currently I have a silkie egg that has externally pipped (hoping to find a baby in the am 2/10) and I have 2 OE eggs that are moving around and look like they have internally pipped. (These were an experiment I didn't think they were even fertile)

So right now my biggest concern is will mama abandon those last eggs (the OE) because they are taking too long to hatch? I've closed off the nest box she's in (so no chicks fall out) and on the far end I've added chick starter and some water.
I have a pen setup for her and the babies but I wanted to wait to move them down until she hatched more. Biggest problem is that I'm in Western NC, so if she comes off the eggs they can end up cold. I'm also concerned she will ditch them while I'm at work so I won't be able to move them in time....So I guess overall my questions are:

-Will she stay on the last two with food and water nearby? Or is it possible she will ditch them?
-should I just go ahead and move her tomorrow night 2/10 into her pen with her babies and eggs or should I leave her in the nest box?
-or should I move the last two eggs under a different broody and when they hatch sneak them with mama? (or will this mess up my other broody hen?)

I also do have the option to remove the babies and raise them in the house but I really wanted her to take care of them. These were all set at the same time I think the bantam hatched first because it was so small (oegb).

Any advice and insight will be greatly appreciated! thank you!

In my experience the hens stayed on the eggs for two days after the first one hatched. Good luck. I hope all goes well for you.

 

[Hi_imlaurenn]

UPDATE:
Mama has hatched out the baby silkie. And now I can hear tapping from both green eggs pretty consistently. Fingers crossed that the last two hatch by tonight
Depending on the last two eggs I'm either gonna move mama tonight or tomorrow night

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I have Many broody hens that hatch chicks every year Eggs usually all hatch within 24 hours of each other. Most broody hens will stay on unhatched eggs for 2 days before they give in to the insistent demands of restless hungry chicks. But sometimes a broody hen did leave unhatched but viable eggs (sometimes even pipped!) behind to tend to her first-hatched chicks. I solved this problem by taking the following action. If chick(s) have hatched more than 24 hours earlier than still unhatched eggs, i remove "older" chicks and put them in a temporary brooder with heat, food and water. That allows the broody hen to remain quietly focused on her remaining eggs. I do always leave at least one hatched chick under mama hen so she doesnt fret about her chicks being taken away. And i rarely remove chicks less than 24 hours old. Chicks dont Need to eat for 3 days. However, after 24 hours or so, they will get pretty restless and demanding as far as wanting to leave the nestbox. You will likely see that behavior today in the oldest chick. Keeping the hatching area very dark helps deter that problem if u are able to do so. Temporarily removing them makes everyone happy. Re the food and water you made accessible, i would remove that. The chicks dont know its food unless mama hen (or you!) shows them, & having food and water nearby may actually Encourage the broody to leave the unhatched eggs. And then she will need to poop! After all viable eggs have hatched, i put the older chicks back under mama hen, THen i move everyone to their next "home." I.e. a separate safe area where the happy family will spend their next several weeks. Its not necessary to take the above steps in all instances; some broodys stay glued to their unhatched eggs no matter what. But ive had a few leave unhatched eggs behind. (One, a.cuckoo marans, leaves unhatched eggs behind Every Single Time once she has 4-5 chicks.) The chick in photo below hatched a full 2 days earlier than the other eggs. Why i have no clue since all eggs were set at the same time. In pic, the chick was less than 24 hours old. The next day i did temporarily remove this first chick and another that hstched overnight. Two days later, all but 1 (dead) egg had hatched. I then put the 2 temporaily-seperated chicks back under mama hen. The first chick would have survived without food and water during the 2+ days it took the other eggs to hatch. But it definitely would Not have been happy. Enjoy your new little chicken family. Imo broody hens with their babies are the Best kind of chicken tv!

 

[Hi_imlaurenn]

I have Many broody hens that hatch chicks every year Eggs usually all hatch within 24 hours of each other. Most broody hens will stay on unhatched eggs for 2 days before they give in to the insistent demands of restless hungry chicks. But sometimes a broody hen did leave unhatched but viable eggs (sometimes even pipped!) behind to tend to her first-hatched chicks. I solved this problem by taking the following action. If chick(s) have hatched more than 24 hours earlier than still unhatched eggs, i remove "older" chicks and put them in a temporary brooder with heat, food and water. That allows the broody hen to remain quietly focused on her remaining eggs. I do always leave at least one hatched chick under mama hen so she doesnt fret about her chicks being taken away. And i rarely remove chicks less than 24 hours old. Chicks dont Need to eat for 3 days. However, after 24 hours or so, they will get pretty restless and demanding as far as wanting to leave the nestbox. You will likely see that behavior today in the oldest chick. Keeping the hatching area very dark helps deter that problem if u are able to do so. Temporarily removing them makes everyone happy. Re the food and water you made accessible, i would remove that. The chicks dont know its food unless mama hen (or you!) shows them, & having food and water nearby may actually Encourage the broody to leave the unhatched eggs. And then she will need to poop! After all viable eggs have hatched, i put the older chicks back under mama hen, THen i move everyone to their next "home." I.e. a separate safe area where the happy family will spend their next several weeks. Its not necessary to take the above steps in all instances; some broodys stay glued to their unhatched eggs no matter what. But ive had a few leave unhatched eggs behind. (One, a.cuckoo marans, leaves unhatched eggs behind Every Single Time once she has 4-5 chicks.) The chick in photo below hatched a full 2 days earlier than the other eggs. Why i have no clue since all eggs were set at the same time. In pic, the chick was less than 24 hours old. The next day i did temporarily remove this first chick and another that hstched overnight. Two days later, all but 1 (dead) egg had hatched. I then put the 2 temporaily-seperated chicks back under mama hen. The first chick would have survived without food and water during the 2+ days it took the other eggs to hatch. But it definitely would Not have been happy. Enjoy your new little chicken family. Imo broody hens with their babies are the Best kind of chicken tv!

Thank you for the information! This morning I woke up and had a baby silkie and when I got home from work there was a baby OE born... and the last egg has externally pipped! I had one born Monday, 2 on Wednesday and hoping this last one has hatched by now or the am. I think the difference in hatching was due to the types of babies that were born. But I really wasn't sure what to do because I've never had a broody be successful before. I have another mama sitting on 9 eggs so I'm going to take your advice if I have weird hatch times when it comes to them although they were all set at the same time.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi did that last egg baby hatch? I had read in the past to use eggs as close as possible in size as possible, to avoid the varied hatch days u have experienced. But I know that may be hard to do when u want specific breeds to hatch! I hope all is well with your broody and her new chicks.

 

[Hi_imlaurenn]

Hi did that last egg baby hatch? I had read in the past to use eggs as close as possible in size as possible, to avoid the varied hatch days u have experienced. But I know that may be hard to do when u want specific breeds to hatch! I hope all is well with your broody and her new chicks.

Hi! So yes baby # 4 hatched Friday morning and that baby was a VERY big chunky little chick. I honestly didn't think the OE eggs were even fertile but I left them to see what would happen. Due to the color it was hard to see anything going on (and I didn't realize the angle I needed to use). But about 3 days before the hatch I saw the chicks moving. Unfortunately the first born and the smallest (OEGB) fit through a crack in the pen I made and was killed by the flock. I've since fully secured the pen but if there are any other issues I plan on removing the babies and moving them in the house.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I had the same thing happen re a young chick killed by the flock. Since that happened i separate the broody and chicks into a seperate safe enclosure completely covered in half inch hardware cloth. My coops and runs are also covered in 1/2" hardware cloth, so covering the broody pens was an obvious need. Since i did so i never remove chicks; they always get to be raised by their feathered mom.