Broody Hen, started with 7 eggs, down to 2!!!! UGH!

[MissDeb]

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if I might be wasting my time by hatching out the last two eggs I have. I started them on the 4th of March. In the time that I have been waiting. I had two that were not fertile so we tossed them. I found one a couple of days ago eaten, nothing left but a peace of the egg left.
And yesterday I went back in, only to find a chick under her, dead with part of the egg attached to its legs. It looked like a normal chick, ready to hatch.

If they havent done anything by now, will they ever? Time to start over?

Im new to all this, so is she.

 

[OCchickens]

You'll be 21 days tomorrow, right? I would give it another couple days -- who knows -- you may get a chick yet!

 

[MissDeb]

Hi OC,

Thank you, yes, I believe we'll be 21 days tomorrow. I'm reading all I can while I wait for replies. Maybe since the coop is a bit cooler it'll delay the hatch a bit. Is there anything to look for at this point?

 

[OCchickens]

I'm certainly not an expert on hatching with a broody. I can't really see what you can do at this point. Have you candled those 2 remaining eggs to see if they're viable (not suggesting you do that -- not sure if it's ok to handle them at this point altho seems like people do it all the time).

 

[MissDeb]

We candled them around 10 days, the ones we could clearly see there was nothing there we tossed out. Which was two of them. The others were too dark to see anything so we left them. She kicked one out of the nest, ate another and we had a chick just yesterday but it was not alive when I found it.

I guess I dont understand what an aircell is. Is there anyway to know if they are alive at this point? They are very dark marans type eggs.

 

[OCchickens]

The air cell is the air pocket at the wide end of the shell. I always candle from that end & can see it well on other eggs, but not sure about marans -- I've heard they're really dark!

(Would love to get some, by the way!)

 

[MissDeb]

I wish I could say they are purebred, but they are out of my girls who are marans and RR cross, they lay a pretty brown egg. Great layers too!


So when they come out? They start on the bigger end? I went out a bit ago, and she was standing in the pen walking around making a ruckus. When she saw me she quickly went back to laying on the two eggs.

 

[OCchickens]

Yes, they pip in the big end.

 

[MissDeb]

Well, the last egg was a rotten one, But she sat on that thing until I took it away. I reset her today with 8 more eggs and will cross my fingers she doesnt leave the nest. She has her own private area with food and water. So this time no one can interfere. I used only the light colored eggs since we are rather new to this, we'll save the dark eggs for later. lol...

 

[OCchickens]

Good luck!