Broody sitting for 35 days

[Dobiegirl22]

Wow, she is taking forever to hatch those eggs! I wonder if she lost the eggs that she first started incubating, and the developing eggs under her were more recently laid? Hope the incubated and broody hatched eggs both give you keets!!!

So I’m assuming that other hens continued to lay in her nest when I thought they were just “co-sitting” because I had to toss many dead eggs that had developed to approx three weeks. I guess they somehow got pushed out from under her and got cold. The ones underneath her are at about two weeks based on what I can see. My incubator eggs have also began to show veins minus a few so I’m hopeful.

I would still love if she can raise my incubator keets if hers never hatch. Is there a way I can wing that?

 

[Sydney65]

That will have to be answered by @Mixed flock enthusiast @R2elk - this my 1st time w/my Jumbo & none I've hatched before were hers (but I think the ones in brooder now are).
If yours hatch before hers, then if she did accept them, she'd abandon the nest & you could move those to incubator - but then she'd not accept those.
The ones I hatched last year weren't hers, I'd bought them. Before I put them in coop, I wld take them out & put in a kennel to explore while I supervised. She wanted nothing to do w/them, but my males took point at each side of cage & guarded them. They were small enough to get through the bars, but if they did, a male would thunk them on the head and force them back in. When they started free ranging, one of the males would trail them. I think that's hit or miss, either the male will help or he might kill them. Mine stepped in.
Right now I have to segregate my males from fighting bc the broody hen's mate has a roving eye. He doesn't bother guarding her anymore, but the other male has started taking up guard next to her. I guess what I'm saying is "who knows?" Lol

 

[Dobiegirl22]

Came home today to see the curtains by the incubator open, so it was in direct sunlight, and the internal temperature was reading 116. I’ve got it down to 103 but it was probably up that high for 2-3 hours. Is this a lost cause?

 

[R2elk]

Came home today to see the curtains by the incubator open, so it was in direct sunlight, and the internal temperature was reading 116. I’ve got it down to 103 but it was probably up that high for 2-3 hours. Is this a lost cause?

Anything long enough to get the internal egg temperature to 105°F is death to the embryos.Sorry this happened to you.

 

[Dobiegirl22]

Anything long enough to get the internal egg temperature to 105°F is death to the embryos.Sorry this happened to you.

Terrific. Do you think I should toss and get the next batch in there or give this a chance? I don’t want them with severe birth defects even if they do make it.

 

[R2elk]

Terrific. Do you think I should toss and get the next batch in there or give this a chance? I don’t want them with severe birth defects even if they do make it.

You can candle them to try to see any movement. I suspect the ones in the incubator are a lost cause.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Terrific. Do you think I should toss and get the next batch in there or give this a chance? I don’t want them with severe birth defects even if they do make it.

Oh what a bummer!!! I’d give them a few days in case the eggs themselves didn’t get so hot… A lethal heat spike would kill (I know, obviously) but lots of people get temporary heat spikes that still hatch.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

So I’m assuming that other hens continued to lay in her nest when I thought they were just “co-sitting” because I had to toss many dead eggs that had developed to approx three weeks. I guess they somehow got pushed out from under her and got cold. The ones underneath her are at about two weeks based on what I can see. My incubator eggs have also began to show veins minus a few so I’m hopeful.

I would still love if she can raise my incubator keets if hers never hatch. Is there a way I can wing that?

There have been a few discussions about trying to get a broody guinea to accept keets. You might try searching… my recollection is they it’s best not attempted unless mom had just hatched eggs. @BennieAnTheJets managed to get an incubated keet accepted by the parents last year, I believe, just by introducing it when they had newly hatched keets…

 

[Dobiegirl22]

Update: I candled a few of the eggs my girl has been sitting on and there are six close to hatch! I can’t believe it. A miracle. However, I have noticed she has been getting off the nest more. Today she was off the longest I’ve seen yet! Is this normal behavior close to hatch? It’s odd! She’s barely been off for 10 minutes a day since she started.

 

[yakitori]

Update: I candled a few of the eggs my girl has been sitting on and there are six close to hatch! I can’t believe it. A miracle. However, I have noticed she has been getting off the nest more. Today she was off the longest I’ve seen yet! Is this normal behavior close to hatch? It’s odd! She’s barely been off for 10 minutes a day since she started.

Is this still the same hen? If so she’s been sitting for 2 months, and perhaps is ready to give up....