Broody hen and incubator

[CocoPopz]

I have mixed eggs in my incubator (I had 12 but 3 infertile, 2 early stages death and 1 blood ring) they're now on day 13 and doing really well, temp and humidity has been good and not changed in dramatic amounts.
I also have a black silkie hen sat on 7 eggs, I had no decision in this, she was adamant she was keeping those eggs under her

as I couldn't get under her, turns out shed been sat on them two days already and my partner didn't think to tell me, so obviously the embryo had started to develop, so I blah and let her keep them. They're on day 9 (including the days she's already been sat on them) I candled both broody and incubator and hers look like they're about same age or further along, they aren't as active as the ones in the incubator, the veins are very clear on my bator eggs but do brooded hatch quicker or the same? Just wondered so I can prepare for her, she's doing a good job and I'm 100% sure they're 9 days of incubation and my bator are 13.
Just wondered

 

[bargain]

I have mixed eggs in my incubator (I had 12 but 3 infertile, 2 early stages death and 1 blood ring) they're now on day 13 and doing really well, temp and humidity has been good and not changed in dramatic amounts.
I also have a black silkie hen sat on 7 eggs, I had no decision in this, she was adamant she was keeping those eggs under her

as I couldn't get under her, turns out shed been sat on them two days already and my partner didn't think to tell me, so obviously the embryo had started to develop, so I blah and let her keep them. They're on day 9 (including the days she's already been sat on them) I candled both broody and incubator and hers look like they're about same age or further along, they aren't as active as the ones in the incubator, the veins are very clear on my bator eggs but do brooded hatch quicker or the same? Just wondered so I can prepare for her, she's doing a good job and I'm 100% sure they're 9 days of incubation and my bator are 13.
Just wondered

If your incubator is "right on" in humidity and temperature, then the time it takes to hatch an egg should be the same as the time for the hen to hatch that egg. But if your temp in inc is high, it will hatch faster, or low, it will hatch slower. Happy hatching!!!

 

[CocoPopz]

My temp has been about 37.5-38.2 at the highest? I'm wondering if mines at the lower end and the hen is warmer, she's very fluffy and the eggs was very warm to touch, warmer than I remember with my last broody, I've also noticed she gets off for the water, had two drinks then goes back on the nest, she doesn't stay off for 15/25min like my others have, it's not even 5 mins when she's off, could this too affect it?

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Unless I'm missing something in your question, the Day 13 eggs should hatch 4 days before the Day 9 eggs.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Smaller eggs will hatch sooner. Are the ones in the incubator from large fowl and those under her bantam size?

 

[bargain]

I may be missing the question too I thought it was if all things were equal would the hen and incubator hatch at the same time. I don't know?

Any way Coco, it is very normal for the broody to get off the eggs, eat , drink, take care of things for the first 18 days and then she is in a "hypnotic" stage as it were for those last three days. Regarding your temps. You are in Cent. and I in Fahrenheit, but depending on whether you have a fan or not in your incubator would depend on the setting it should be on temperature wise. Now Coco, I have a question for you, are you going to brood out those babies you hatch and be the mom or will you ask your broody to take on more babies, I have occasionally put my incubator babies under my "actual" maternal mothers and this has worked pretty well for me but of course a mom can only keep so many babies under their wings

Now of all my photos I have ever made, this is my favorite of our farm's natural brooders
I had a fun time with that group!

 

[CocoPopz]

My question was, even though they're 4 days behind my bator eggs, they look well developed inside as if they're further a long and can broodys hatch quicker than bator eggs.
I have mixed eggs in, I have 4 silkie eggs and 2 Medium eggs in the incubator and I also have medium-small eggs under my broody.
She's doing well just she doesn't eat a lot, just drinks? I've moved the food now in front of her, still no change, it's her first time.
Depending how she take to her 7 chicks (If all goes well) will depend if I add any of my 6 to her, it's her first time so I don't know, I might add some silkies to her as they're smaller so she should be able to fit them under. I will keep you updated and let you know what I decide, I might even ask to see what you think.
Your silkies look amazing there, how do you keep their feathers in such good condition? Think mine need a bath after this winter, been muddy and my white hens are no longer fluffy marshmallows haha, although my black one still looks decent, yours are definitely show quality condition by the looks of things, any tips?

 

[bargain]

Oh no tips, just it was a dry spell around the pens when I took that picture. Sometimes our silkies can get so dishevelled it's embarrassing!!! Sometimes the silkies just are over broody, as long as you are bringing food and water up to her that is good. I have had silkies go broody at 4 months old - seriously and That's how I knew she was a she... Sometimes, if I know that the silkie has been "setting" too much I will lift her off the eggs for a while, but since you are already bringing food and water to her, you have that covered.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I get what you're saying now. If they look more developed, then they probably are. Probably a temperature difference between the bator and the hen. If it's a big difference the Day 13 eggs in the bator could be delayed a day or 2 and I've seen many bantam eggs that hatch on day 18-19. The difference could be several days more than the 4 day difference I said in my first post.
When the actual temp is known and the other variables can be controlled, like in a hatchery, hatch times can be predicated with an accuracy of several hours. In the wild or a hobby incubator the hatch time is just a wild guess.

 

[CocoPopz]

Oh thought I was the only one that got messy silkies, it's horrible in winter over in the UK, just mud ,rain, mud, rain mud, haha can't avoid it! I'll bath them just before summer when the mud goes, hopefully they'll come out nice! I didn't want to take her off te nest encase I broke her being broody, I'm happy she's getting water but not much food, just the odd mealworm, she can reach te food without moving so hopefully she will get hungry enough to eat againg