Broody hen adding chicks or let her sit?

[ellahere]

Hi,
I have my first broody hen - she is a Silkie bantam and I got her 6 eggs to sit on. She is sitting tight in her own coop and is getting up once a day to eat. We are on day 14 at present. I candled the eggs at 7 days and 1 was infertile so I dumped it. Then, I think a magpie got into the coop and attacked the eggs. It broke and ate 2 eggs.
Now, I checked the eggs today (she's still sitting on them) and one has a peck mark in it, one is dirty with spilt yolk and one looks alright.
Question is, should I let her carry on sitting? Or try to clean the dirty egg/remove the pecked one? Or give up on it all and bung some chicks under her? If I can get some day old chicks that is...I may have had enough of this natural incubation lark. Another time I will set my incubator going with more eggs in so I have some spares.

 

[sourland]

Cover the peck mark with some melted wax, Unless excessively dirty don't clean - keep the magpies away, give her 7 more days and be prepared to add a few more chicks if you can locate them. Good luck at working this out.

 

[GitaBooks]

I have had plenty of times where I felt the same way. I even got an incubator at one point! However, incubators have less successful hatch rates than hatching under a broody hen (at least so I've heard. I haven't really used an incubator except once to help a late hatching chick).
My chickens have gotten broken egg on their own eggs so many times, and their own droppings, and even dead chick. Some eggs don't make it, but often, with a little cleaning (not all that soap or anything, just a damp cloth to open up the air holes) the eggs will hatch. You want at least two eggs, so the chicks have a friend. Make sure the nesting material is clean, since the smell will get terrible otherwise.
I would suggest letting her sit through and leaving the eggs alone. However, if they don't hatch (wait a few days extra to make sure, as sometimes they are late) then locating a couple young chicks would help the broody a lot, since sitting too long will probably lead to her losing weight.
She will probably continue to sit on new eggs, even if they took a while to hatch, though I wouldn't give up on the old ones yet.

I hope everything turns out! Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

I too have been there. I have colored shells and they are so hard to candle. You might call some hatcheries and see if they could overnight you a few chicks, on the estimated time of hatching. I have often used day old chicks. It is more fun to have them hatch themselves.

Gita is right, some don't make it. And my broody hen has always left the nest within about 10 hours or less with the live chicks and creates a new nest on the floor. And the nests can get to smelling. I have wiped eggs off with a warm rag and have had them to go on and hatch.

I am on day 3 / 21.... so with 7 days left, I think I would try the wax idea, and warm cloth idea and wait and see what happens.

Mk

 

[ellahere]

That's a great idea! Will do with the wax and see if she continues sitting. I cleaned out the dirty patches as you suggested.
As for newly hatched chicks - we don't really have hatcheries like that here in the UK as far as I know but I have rung round a few local farms and all their chicks are a bit older. I've heard you can't add chicks unless they are under a week old.
Luckily (I think!) the other silkie has just gone broody today and I was feeling a bit more confident. I have put her in my designated broody coop in the garage (The other one was meant to go there but I was worried about shifting her. I am in the process of popping some fertile eggs under her too, she will be safer from magpies there.

 

[GitaBooks]

Older chicks might not imprint on a new mother, that would be my biggest concern, as mothers are usually pretty good about caring for chicks.

Best of luck!