Broody Hen

[k9jms]

Hello everyone,
I am fairly new to chickens. I have had my first chicken, a bantam EE go broody a couple of weeks ago. I have tried to candle but honestly have no idea what I am doing. So I have left her and the eggs alone, and let her do her thing. My question is if the eggs are not fertile will she give up sitting on them on her own, or will I have to take them from underneath her? I am afraid to take the eggs for fear of there being a chick in one if not all of them. Yet I read somewhere that the eggs might actually explode if left.
Thank you for the responses,
Rachel

 

[TheSpeckledRoo]

Hello everyone,
I am fairly new to chickens. I have had my first chicken, a bantam EE go broody a couple of weeks ago. I have tried to candle but honestly have no idea what I am doing. So I have left her and the eggs alone, and let her do her thing. My question is if the eggs are not fertile will she give up sitting on them on her own, or will I have to take them from underneath her? I am afraid to take the eggs for fear of there being a chick in one if not all of them. Yet I read somewhere that the eggs might actually explode if left.
Thank you for the responses,
Rachel

Candling is done by shining a bright light through the egg. You can see veins and what not after a few days of fertility. Do you have a rooster? If not the egg will never be fertile and will never hatch. Chickens cannot tell if the egg is fertile or not. Eventually they will abandon their clutch of eggs. You will have to take the eggs underneath her in order for her to stop her brood.

 

[k9jms]

Thank you for the fast response. Yes, I do have a rooster and he does breed his ladies quite frequently. She has about 5 eggs under her and has sat on the religiously, only getting up to eat or drink. What are the chances that all the eggs are infertile? I would just be devastated if I took the eggs and see a baby inside one of them. I honestly did not expect my hens to go broody so soon.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Step one, recandle. You are looking for veins or darkness. This is the best thread for that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation

Second, some will stop eventually but not any time soon. My hen sat through getting on batch mailed, ten days later we found they were all duds and I had to look into new eggs. A week later she had new eggs and sat until those hatched. Normal incubation is 21 days, give or take. She sat for around 40-50 days. I was starting to worry bout her health towards the end.

Bad eggs can explode but hens usually kick them out of the nest before they get to that point.

Honestly, if she has been sitting for two weeks and they are duds, I would replace them with dummy eggs and find someone in your area hatching soon. Then just do a night time swap of eggs for chicks.

 

[TheSpeckledRoo]

Thank you for the fast response. Yes, I do have a rooster and he does breed his ladies quite frequently. She has about 5 eggs under her and has sat on the religiously, only getting up to eat or drink. What are the chances that all the eggs are infertile? I would just be devastated if I took the eggs and see a baby inside one of them. I honestly did not expect my hens to go broody so soon.

How many girls do you have? If you have less than five the chances are almost %100 in my experience. I have thirteen hens and a rooster, I set 5 eggs in the bator and 4 of them were fertile. Roosters are pretty efficient haha.

 

[k9jms]

HUGE update. I just went out there to try and candle the eggs and there is a still wet CHICK under her. I am so unsure what to do right now. Do I leave her alone or try and bring her and the nest box into my garage and set up my heat lamp where it is warmer? Are my other chickens a danger to her and the baby right now? Lord what have I gotten myself into?!

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Leave her be. Moving the eggs as they try to hatch could cause the chicks problems wi hatching. At most, form some chicken wire or something into a cage and fit it around her area. Be sure she has food and water available. Some don't bother separating, it depends on how worried you are about how the other hens will react to the babies.

 

[chicken pickin]

Oh exciting congrats on the first baby. I hope the others hatch also. I agree with the post above. Leave here in her spot and maybe put a barrier/wall up between her and the other chickens for now. Keep us posted.

 

[k9jms]

I know I am super excited about having my first baby chick hatch even if it was completely unexpected I am a grandma now, hahaha. I will keep everyone updated and post pictures after a couple of days. I will also get up at the crack of dawn putting a barrier up around her area
Thank everyone once again for the advice!