Candling with broody?

[Nicole01]

I read your not suppose to candle after day 7 for eggs under broody. Candling the eggs after day 7 will lessen the hatch rate. Is this true???

This is my first hatch, I have 7 eggs under her. I can't see in all the eggs due to egg color being so dark, but I see growing darkness. I'm assuming they are growing. My neighbor gave me an egg that looked 1/2 developed. She said she found the egg buried under the pine chips and the weather was 90 for the week before.

Two of what she wants back, I saw the chick actually move with the light brown eggs! So cool. I can not see movement with the green eggs. The lighter green egg has me wondering as the yolk is darkening but not growing as fast as the others. Maybe that was the newest laid.

I hope none explodes. I have to lift my broody out 3 times a day to drink water and poop. Her legs are getting weak from sitting so long, so I close off the nest area for a few minutes and I walk behind her to walk. I'm feeding her HB egg a day, alfalfa sprouts, polyvisol vitamins, starter feed, oats, cracked corn(tiny bit) and sunflower seeds in her box. I should give her probios(I always keep on hand in freezer). 2 days ago I did clean her box out, but it wasn't that dirty. I lined the bottom with Seven and DE.

My broody talks/clucks in a new soft tone and seems to be super happy. I wish she'd get up on her own to drink. I'm not moving her nest until the eggs hatch, I'm afraid she will freak out.

Am I doing this right? My goal is to keep one or two green egg hens. I pray I get at least one. My neighbor rehomed her rooster last night.. She is taking the rest of the chicks and will brood hers in the house. I'm letting my hen raise the chick herself for all her hard work sitting. I'll move her in the dog kennel that's already inside the coop from integrating the 3 I bought on March 1st. They don't use the kennel any longer.

 

[sourland]

I can see absolutely no logical reason why candling after 7 days under a broody would affect hatch rate. I would be real scared of that egg that was 'buried' in the pine shavings.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I read your not suppose to candle after day 7 for eggs under broody. Candling the eggs after day 7 will lessen the hatch rate. Is this true???

You can read a lot on the internet. Some of it is even true.

Where did you read that? Do you have a link?

I strongly personally doubt there is any truth in that at all. I try hard to not say never with chickens or any living animal, but this is one I really have to try really hard.

The consequences of an egg exploding are really bad, but if you set relatively clean eggs, it very seldom happens. It is something that I know "can" happen, but I don't obsess over it.

My broodies usually get up once a day to eat, drink, and take her daily constitutional. I don't provide any special feed for the broody, just letting her eat with the other chickens. She is not laying eggs so she does not need the extra calcium in Layer. That Starter you are feeding her should be her main food source. It will provide a balanced diet. The other stuff is fine, just don't overdo it. The Starter should be her major food source.

The only time I clean out a nest is when an egg breaks or I have a specific something to clean up.

You are not really doing anything wrong, but I find the less I interfere the better it usually goes. Hens have been doing this for thousands of years and most of the time they get it right based only on instinct. Most of my problems with broodies occur when I interfere. I usually limit it to checking under mine once a day for unmarked eggs. My broodies incubate and hatch with the flock so the other hens might lay an egg in her nest. Once they start to hatch, I stay back.

You will be strongly tempted to look under her when the eggs start to hatch. Resist! The hen can be protective of her nest and sometimes chicks can get hurt by her moving to protect the nest. Also, chicks will sometimes crawl up under her wings and such. I crushed one once picking a broody up to see how many chicks she had. If you do need to pick a broody up when she has very young chicks, be careful.

Editted to add: Sourland made a real good point on that egg that was buried. It could be bad or it could have started incubation enough to hatch really early. That could mess up the hen's hatching schedule. If it hatches. don;t be surprised if it is early.

 

[Nicole01]

Thank you for your great advice.

The reason I started getting her up is she was looking really bad and I thought she was dehydrated. It was really hot that first week. The eggs looked good from what I could tell. The green eggs are really thick shelled. I don't even know if a chick can get through it, but I guess we'll see.

I do want what's best for her. She's a great pet and I'd hate to see her in bad shape.

I'm assuming if there is an egg explosion, the entire batch is ruined? I'm so new at this. I was thinking of buying an incubator for the future and buy hatching eggs on eBay, but I will have to wait until I'm ready and need new layers. I'm at my personal max now with the egg that will hatch, which brings me up to 11 hens. Last year I was pretty adamant on only raising 2-3 and no more. That went out the window once I brought them home.LOL

 

[chickenreferee]

I candled all the way to day 17 with the eggs under my broody. Not everyday mind you, but day 6, 10, 12, and 17. Seven out of 11 eggs hatched, so I'm pretty pleased. I was worried about not being able to see anything candling either because my hens eggs are green and very opaque as well. After day 10 I couldn't see much of anything and on day 7 I only saw a wee bit of veining. I call Ida's eggs leather eggs and wondered if the chicks would be able to break out too- but they were just fine.

Ida stayed on her nest 24-7 the last two weeks of incubation. She ate a little here and there, and drank some, but only pooped maybe once or twice. Her comb went pale and she just looked poor all together. I was worried too, but thanks to the super smart people here, I left her alone and allowed her to be a chicken. I just made sure the food and water were within her reach.

Here we are 3 days after the final chick hatched and Ida and her brood are doing just fine. She really didn't loose that much weight and she gets around like nobody's business. (I'd have to have a walker if I sat around for 3 weeks straight.)

Try not to worry and stress too much. Mom and chicks will be just fine!

 

[Nicole01]

I read your not suppose to candle after day 7 for eggs under broody. Candling the eggs after day 7 will lessen the hatch rate. Is this true???

You can read a lot on the internet. Some of it is even true.

Where did you read that? Do you have a link?

.

Here's that link
http://www.chickenkeepingsecrets.com/keeping-chickens/issues-with-broody-hens/

 

[Nicole01]

I candled all the way to day 17 with the eggs under my broody. Not everyday mind you, but day 6, 10, 12, and 17. Seven out of 11 eggs hatched, so I'm pretty pleased. I was worried about not being able to see anything candling either because my hens eggs are green and very opaque as well. After day 10 I couldn't see much of anything and on day 7 I only saw a wee bit of veining. I call Ida's eggs leather eggs and wondered if the chicks would be able to break out too- but they were just fine.

Ida stayed on her nest 24-7 the last two weeks of incubation. She ate a little here and there, and drank some, but only pooped maybe once or twice. Her comb went pale and she just looked poor all together. I was worried too, but thanks to the super smart people here, I left her alone and allowed her to be a chicken. I just made sure the food and water were within her reach.

Here we are 3 days after the final chick hatched and Ida and her brood are doing just fine. She really didn't loose that much weight and she gets around like nobody's business. (I'd have to have a walker if I sat around for 3 weeks straight.)

Try not to worry and stress too much. Mom and chicks will be just fine!

I'm at day 9. . I have no idea when the eggs were laid though. My neighbor doesn't collect them daily. I warned her about passing out eggs to people half developed! I can't imagine if someone opened up a chick embryo. They'd be scarred for life.lol. I do hope she gets another rooster. Maybe after we fence in our property, I can talk hubby into getting our own. We are fencing all 4 acres starting next spring in sections. This will help keep stray dogs out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here's that link
http://www.chickenkeepingsecrets.com/keeping-chickens/issues-with-broody-hens/

I could not find a reference to the "don't candle after 7 days" in that article or the linked ones I read. I did not read all the linked ones, just three of them.

Some of the stuff in that article was really good but some was strange to me. This appears to be how one person handles it and it is written with the tone that this is how it must be. Well, looking through a few of the articles, I do some things differently. I think it is a good idea to read different articles and such and decide which are suitable for you and your specific conditions. There are lots of different ways to do things. I know that my way is not the only right way and neither is that author's.

 

[sourland]

What Ridgerunnere says! If it seems like common sense, it MIGHT be true. There is much misinformation out there. Raising/keeping fowl is not rocket science. What worked 70 years ago still works. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[ValleyPoultryFarms]

Pfffffft. Naw. It doesn't matter when you candle eggs except maybe day 21 to avoid tumbling the chick.