Broody SMASH

[Stacykins]

So why do I have this problem? A broody SMASHING eggs that have pipped and are about to hatch? Ones she's been setting on for weeks! But as soon as they pip, they get crushed..

Does pipping ruin the integrity and strength of the shell so their fat butts cause them to collapse? It is just frustrating since this hen I had on eggs is a great Mom...when the chicks aren't crushed before hatch. Of course the chicks die, they've been squashed before they were even ready to fully hatch.

 

[sourland]

Is there any possibility that other hens are trying to lay in her nest. Two or more hen squabbling over a nest site frequently results in damaged or broken/crushed eggs.

 

[Stacykins]

Five of my seven hens are currently broody, and I have six nest boxes. Only two hens are sharing a nest box, they are small Araucanas, and they only have wooden eggs (one of the two proved to be a rather ineffective mother last time, so I hadn't given her more eggs). The ones I gave real eggs to were black copper marans, each in a different nest box. And each, when the eggs pipped, accidentally crushed the chicks in shell shortly thereafter. I am just so miffed because FOUR chicks died today post pip. All were olive eggers, those black copper marans as Moms (before they went broody) and an Araucana father. Three of them had gorgeous tufts, too.

My only two hens still laying have given up completely trying to get into a box to lay, and choose to lay on the floor of the coop in a corner.

This was taken yesterday. The box with two chickens has the former failmom, the duckwing.