Candling eggs under a broody and mean broodies

[mustangsaguaro]

For those of you that have your broodies incubate/hatch the eggs do you candle the eggs at all? If so at what days? I have a broody in which the eggs started in the incubator and then I put them under her and she has been sitting on them ever since. Day 18 will be March 24. I am wondering if I should just let them be or if I should candle them.

I have a 2nd broody that the other night when I went in to take a few eggs out from under her and put some different ones under her she was very nasty towards me. While my other broody is a sweet as can be. How many of you have nasty broodies and how do you deal w/ them?

Thanks

 

[chickenlips]

My GLCW would growl, scream and try to take my hand off when I would check her eggs, so I would just put on leather gloves and I was fine. I discovered that after the chicks hatched she was a wonderful and very protective mother to them, so I just figured she was that way from start to finish with her babies. Any other time she is a very calm hen.

 

[coffeemama]

yep-leather gloves and long sleeves

 

[silkiechicken]

Same as with incubator hatching, I candle on about day 6, 14 and 18 or so.

As for nasty hens... they all seem to bite everyone that gets eggs from them except me. They growl and puff, but that's it. When my mom get's the eggs when I'm not home, she has to go in with gloves as they will scream and peck.

I got bit once... but i was tempting fate by rubbing the wattles on the broody and telling her she was gong to make a good momma... guess she didn't like me talking to her.

 

[RioLindoAz]

One of my show hens is broody. But she is very nice when I try to take out the eggs to candle them. She may puff up a little, but she still keeps her cute, inocent, face