Broody Not Keeping All Eggs Underneath Her

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have a young broody silkie sitting on 9 silkie/showgirl eggs. They are due to hatch in two days. i keep checking on her and finding one or more eggs are sticking out from under her chest or backside, half covered. And have also found an egg that is totally uncovered. i'm spending lots of time tucking eggs back underneath.

If i had another reliable broody i would switch them out, but she's the only one available right now. i guess i'm wondering if others have had this experience with a broody, but still had the eggs hatch alright. Maybe 9 eggs are too many for her? Any suggestions? i should probably fire up my incubator, just in case.

 

[Countrywife]

I would fire up the incubator. Sounds like she is moving so much she can't keep them there.

 

[birdlover]

I'm having the same problem right now with a silkie and a black tail white Japanese. Have you candled the eggs at all? I did today and was able to eliminate a bunch that were not good. (They are in with the general population and have been slipping other hens' eggs under them.) I marked the fertile ones and tossed the rest. Now, they each have a reasonable number (5 each). I hope yours hatch and will be looking for you to post your results.

 

[austinhart123]

ive had hens who do that and still get good hatches
but i would candle and get rid of the bad eggs that way she has less to worry about

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

I would candle them to make sure they are even good. A hen will kick out eggs that are no good.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i actually did candle day before yesterday. We started with 16. i had two hens sitting on them until then. These nine looked pretty hopeful. i had two that had obviously quit and then 5 that looked not so hopeful. i gave the not-so-hopeful ones to the other hen Peepers, who is only on the eggs part of the time. Gave these 9 to Juliet as she is the most faithful setter, and moved her into a small hutch inside our shed (our baby nursery).

i almost wonder if i should set up Peepers in a small hutch where she can't get up and waltz off, and give her half the eggs. i can't keep the two of them together for the hatch as Peepers was always beating the feathers out of Juliet when they came off the nest to eat.

Whatever i decide, i need to do it tomorrow before any chicks start to hatch. Lot's of nail-biting going on here.

 

[debilorrah]

Everytime I have had a broody, they collect more eggs than they can possibly hatch. I just throw the leftovers away. I have a 10 ounce turken that goes broody often, and that dumb thing thinks she can cover 14 eggs.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i think Juliet "thinks"she is covering all those eggs, and doesn't realize when one has scooted out the backside. She's bearded with a huge crest, so probably can't see much of anything. i should have clipped her hair, but don't want to pull her off the nest this late in the game.

These are silkie/showgirl eggs i bought on ebay and i really want to have a good hatch.

Maybe if i put something inside the hutch, like a nestbox or something, to keep the eggs in and under her it would help.

 

[MIKE555444]

My big BO pullet had 11 eggs very comphy under her... when i candled I tossed 1 of them and she has 10 at the moment.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Well, after my last post i went out and found a small plastic cat box in our shed. Cleaned it up, put in straw and the eggs. Juliet has been faithfully sitting on them since. But yesterday was hatch day and i haven't heard a peep. Wondering if they got chilled too late in the game and have died.

Anyhow, here she is, trying to be a good mom: