Broody, Momma of 1 then 2 & now 5 eggs left.

[WV Chicken Momma]

Broody Momma hen hatched an egg on 3-21-2022 then when I thought that would be all and came to candle the rest, another hatched 3-25-2022. She is still sitting on the nest and it still has 5 eggs that look ready when I candled them. How much longer do I wait? I dont want my hen to get sick from sitting.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

First congratulations on your two hatches...but...uhm...you've waited too long already.

That leads me to assume two possible scenarios.

Scenario 1: You set all the eggs at the same time. Hen refuses to leave dead eggs.

Baby chicks have 2 days worth of food reserves from the absorbed egg yolk. Two days after hatching, momma needs to lead them to food and water. She should be up scratching with them by day 3 latest. The rest of the eggs, if set at the same time, usually won't ever hatch as they've died in shell. Take and Toss. (The late hatcher might have been on the outskirts of the hen's warmth and developed slowly). Some hens don't get a clue if there are still eggs in the nest. Removing the dead eggs will switch her to mothering mode.

Scenario 2: You had other hens lay after you set the first eggs. The Staggered Hatch.

Since you had a very late developer (4 days later which is unusual), did you set all the eggs at the same time? Or did other chickens sneak a few in afterwards? This causes a problem called a staggered hatch. You've already extended the first chick 4 days, now you've got a second chick. If you continue to wait, you'll have to extend them both more days as you wait for the still developing chicks. (If set later, they will be live chicks hatching later).

Because of their needs after hatch, chicks need to hatch within 24 to 36 hours from each other. Most hens will get up, no matter what, after day 2, abandoning the rest of the unhatched eggs to care for the chicks, truncating on their own staggered hatches.

However, some hens sit and sit on remaining eggs ignoring the hatched chicks until they die from dehydration.

If this happens, with a staggered hatch, you can place food and water nearby, if the chicks are smart enough...you may have to lead them to it).

If chicks are in distress, are you ready to take chicks in distress that have hatched and artificially brood them? You likely will be able to graft them back in after all the babes hatch....but....

You'll also have to watch with the mixed age chicks. One week old chicks want to wander, scratching and pecking, while newly hatched chicks need momma setting a lot and keeping them warm. In warmer weather, this isn't as tragic. But in cool/cold weather this creates a crisis. This can put a lot of stress on momma and chicks, especially the young babes who can't keep up with the older babes. Another problem with staggered hatches.

So...decide if these are dead chicks in shell (set at same time...they are duds...call it), or if these are viable chicks set later...then you've got to decide what to do...let mom hatch or take the eggs and finish them in an incubator.

Good luck.
LofMc

 

[WV Chicken Momma]

First congratulations on your two hatches...but...uhm...you've waited too long already.

That leads me to assume two possible scenarios.

Scenario 1: You set all the eggs at the same time. Hen refuses to leave dead eggs.

Baby chicks have 2 days worth of food reserves from the absorbed egg yolk. Two days after hatching, momma needs to lead them to food and water. She should be up scratching with them by day 3 latest. The rest of the eggs, if set at the same time, usually won't ever hatch as they've died in shell. Take and Toss. (The late hatcher might have been on the outskirts of the hen's warmth and developed slowly). Some hens don't get a clue if there are still eggs in the nest. Removing the dead eggs will switch her to mothering mode.

Scenario 2: You had other hens lay after you set the first eggs. The Staggered Hatch.

Since you had a very late developer (4 days later which is unusual), did you set all the eggs at the same time? Or did other chickens sneak a few in afterwards? This causes a problem called a staggered hatch. You've already extended the first chick 4 days, now you've got a second chick. If you continue to wait, you'll have to extend them both more days as you wait for the still developing chicks. (If set later, they will be live chicks hatching later).

Because of their needs after hatch, chicks need to hatch within 24 to 36 hours from each other. Most hens will get up, no matter what, after day 2, abandoning the rest of the unhatched eggs to care for the chicks, truncating on their own staggered hatches.

However, some hens sit and sit on remaining eggs ignoring the hatched chicks until they die from dehydration.

If this happens, with a staggered hatch, you can place food and water nearby, if the chicks are smart enough...you may have to lead them to it).

If chicks are in distress, are you ready to take chicks in distress that have hatched and artificially brood them? You likely will be able to graft them back in after all the babes hatch....but....

You'll also have to watch with the mixed age chicks. One week old chicks want to wander, scratching and pecking, while newly hatched chicks need momma setting a lot and keeping them warm. In warmer weather, this isn't as tragic. But in cool/cold weather this creates a crisis. This can put a lot of stress on momma and chicks, especially the young babes who can't keep up with the older babes. Another problem with staggered hatches.

So...decide if these are dead chicks in shell (set at same time...they are duds...call it), or if these are viable chicks set later...then you've got to decide what to do...let mom hatch or take the eggs and finish them in an incubator.

Good luck.
LofMc

Thanks so much for all this information. I decided today before reading your message that they needed to go so she could take care of the chicks she hatched already. So I am so so glad to get your message that says this very thing. It was my and my hens first time hatching on the nest. So of course I was nervous about them taking to long. And I honestly dont know how the second chick ended up 5 days late. I was pulling all the unhatched eggs the night I found it hatching. That is why I waited so long to pull the others.
The rest were quiters. As I needed to know for next time what I was actually seeing when candling and water testing I opened them before discarding them tonight.
As I said before, thank you so much for your information and for this site!
WV chicken Momma!
Leigh