Broody hen sitting on non hatched eggs

[Sooz]

My hen Lucy has been sitting on eggs for a while now but I think its over 21 days. I should have taken note of the date she started sitting on them but did not. I feel so sorry for her as she gets really upset when I try to move her. I have some RIR chicks who are about 3 weeks old. Should I perhaps try to get her to be their mum and then she might be OK. My husband thinks I should get more eggs and put them under her but I think its too long for her to sit on eggs again and I also think its too late in the year to have more chicks. Any advice would be great.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

My chicks took an extra three days under my broody for some reason. I think because she got off of them every day for almost 1/2 hour so they took a little longer to hatch. If I were you I would candle them tonight (all you need is a flash light and tape black duct tape around the light part) set the egg on top of that and it works great. I'm candling mine tonight to see what's alive and what is not. They are due to hatch in just a little over a week and 1/2. Good luck with yours. If yours are not good I would try the chicks...is this her first time? If so watch her carefully. My last broody ate her chicks

She was a terrific sitter but once the chicks started hatching she ate them!

 

[Sooz]

I am going to candle them now. But will I be able to see anything at this stage or just a black mass?

 

[Portia]

I had a hen that sort of predicament, and I knew her to be one that would sit until she either hatched something out or died...so I acquired some day olds and stuck them under her at night while she slept. I was afraid she wouldn't be able to maintain her health for another 21 days of setting. I have also been successful with hens adopting chicks that were up to 3 weeks old, but its not an easy task to get them to take. The hen may not accept them or the chicks, having not imprinted in the early days may not understand the merits of a mother hen. You can try though, put them together in a smaller pen and hope let them figure it out. Mine are free range, so I spent a day following them around and putting the chicks under the hen when she was warming the few that 'got it' (which is why I recommend a small pen for them).
Good luck. My hens hatch out chicks year round, but I will say that the survival rate drops sharply when the temps get cooler.

 

[Sooz]

I did not realise they would hatch chicks in the winter. I will give her another day or so. I've decided not to candle the eggs after all as its quite cold here and I do not want to disturb her. I just feel so sorry for her when she makes that sort of crying noise when I lift her of the nest to get her to eat and drink. I will also try her with the chicks. I am working tomorrow till tuesday so will sort her out on Wednesday. You never know mayby the eggs will actually hatch. There are ony three couchin eggs under her and I think they may be dead as there were origionaly 12 and the rest got squashed by a duck or burst as they were rotten. One of my muscovys was laying her eggs in lucys nest. This must have been to save her sitting on them!