Broody on nest of questionable eggs for too long

[QChickieMama]

I'm not good at candling these eggs, and some have dark shells which makes it harder for light to pass. What would you do with a broody who's been on this nest of a zillion eggs for 5 days past the hatch date?

Some eggs that weren't fertile have broken and gotten others in the nest messy. Makes me wonder what is happening to the fertile eggs in there?

If there's no other action to take now, how long would you recommend I let her sit this batch before discarding the whole nest full?

 

[Aapomp831]

I'm not good at candling these eggs, and some have dark shells which makes it harder for light to pass. What would you do with a broody who's been on this nest of a zillion eggs for 5 days past the hatch date?

Some eggs that weren't fertile have broken and gotten others in the nest messy. Makes me wonder what is happening to the fertile eggs in there?

If there's no other action to take now, how long would you recommend I let her sit this batch before discarding the whole nest full?

So you’re on day 26? Are we talking chickens or ducks?

 

[QChickieMama]

So you’re on day 26? Are we talking chickens or ducks?

Yes, day 26ish. Sunday was day 21 but I added more fertile chicken eggs on the 2nd & 3rd days. Was thinking I'd see some action this week. Side note: Other hens with infertile eggs have access to this nest, so I keep trying to get their eggs out...Sometimes it's hard to know. Wish I'd penciled on the original set.

 

[Aapomp831]

Yes, day 26ish. Sunday was day 21 but I added more fertile chicken eggs on the 2nd & 3rd days. Was thinking I'd see some action this week. Side note: Other hens with infertile eggs have access to this nest, so I keep trying to get their eggs out...Sometimes it's hard to know. Wish I'd penciled on the original set.

Hhhmm... it’s not good to add more eggs once a hen has started to lay bc they have an internal clock telling them about when the eggs should hatch - staggered hatched can cause problems with broody hatched bc she may abandon the last few that were added as the older ones start to hatch - or visa versa. I would give it a couple more days and if they haven’t started to pip then omits probably best to discard. I would check around your area and see if anyone just hatched chicks - maybe you could slip them underneath her at night and see if she takes to them.

 

[QChickieMama]

Thanks. Good idea.

 

[50-45-1]

I agree,
Check around your local farm stores for chicks
Choose the freshest ones (2 day olds or less)
After dark with a flashlight and help from a friend remove all the eggs and slip chicks under the hen.
By morning she thinks she hatched them.
Make sure the spot is a safe height for chicks.
Good luck!

 

[aart]

Wish I'd penciled on the original set.

Yep....use a sharpie permanent marker to ring the entire egg so easy to see.
Pencil will rub off.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Also I'd like to add that a bird can only adequately incubate a small number of eggs. Birds are not machines. They have to be able to keep each egg warm enough and be able to turn the eggs. Putting too many eggs under a hen just means that the hatch will be poor.
I would think it would stress the bird out trying to keep a "zillion" eggs warm and probably none of them were warm enough.

 

[QChickieMama]

Also I'd like to add that a bird can only adequately incubate a small number of eggs. Birds are not machines. They have to be able to keep each egg warm enough and be able to turn the eggs. Putting too many eggs under a hen just means that the hatch will be poor.
I would think it would stress the bird out trying to keep a "zillion" eggs warm and probably none of them were warm enough.

I'm sure that's true. This gal went broody in a pen with 7 other hens, and they all continued to lay in the one nest, even though I added another nest box. Every day she ended up with more eggs, and she'd kick some out sporadically. I don't think the rooster visits these hens, so I was taking theirs out and putting in fertile ones. It just wasn't a good arrangement, even if I'd thought to sharpie the fertile ones.

Do people move their broody hens to separate pens, typically?

 

[aart]

Do people move their broody hens to separate pens, typically?

Some do , some don't.
My coop is set up with a temporary wall section, with separate people door and a separate run, so I can separate broody but she's still in sight of flock.
It's much simpler that way, easier for me to manage things and no other layers bother the broody's nest.