Day 11 eggs look lifeless (photos)

[CJClucks]

My broody hen has been so dutifully sitting on 3 eggs I got from a friend (bc I have no roo). I looked at them with a flashlight today & based on my googling I don’t think they are fertile. I’m a newbie so not sure what to do at this point. Do I get more eggs to swap them out & see how those look in another 10 days? Or try finding a couple of chicks to slip under her? Will just removing the eggs & doing nothing else do her mental/emotional harm?

 

[Rose Quartz]

My broody hen has been so dutifully sitting on 3 eggs I got from a friend (bc I have no roo). I looked at them with a flashlight today & based on my googling I don’t think they are fertile. I’m a newbie so not sure what to do at this point. Do I get more eggs to swap them out & see how those look in another 10 days? Or try finding a couple of chicks to slip under her? Will just removing the eggs & doing nothing else do her mental/emotional harm?

the first one is hard to see but they all look clear. :/ I haven't had a broody myself so I'm no help with deciding what to do with her.

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

I haven't had a broody either, but it is detrimental to their health to keep sitting...get new eggs that you are sure are fertile, or break her of her broodiness

 

[CJClucks]

I haven't had a broody either, but it is detrimental to their health to keep sitting...get new eggs that you are sure are fertile, or break her of her broodiness

How can I be sure they are fertile from the get go?

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

Well...if you have chicken loving friends with a rooster, see if they have a broody and borrow a couple developed eggs from underneath that one to give to urs...it shortens the sitting which means she'll loose less weight, with the sane end result

 

[chuckachucka]

These eggs are definitely not at day 11 of development. It is possible that they started developing and died within the first two days based purely on these pics (the yolks seem to have enlarged a bit which is what happens during the first couple of days) but it is more likely that the eggs are starting to rot. Definitely do not keep them with your broody.

 

[Kiki]

Time to try to break her.

Do you have a a wire cage laying around?

Do a little more research before you try to hatch eggs.

 

[sylviethecochin]

How can I be sure they are fertile from the get go?

Get a few fresh eggs--maybe half a dozen. Crack a few and see if any look like this:

If not, your friend's rooster isn't doing his job.

It should be safe to let her set new eggs for another 21 days, so long as you keep an eye on her condition. I've double-batched before, and set hens on muscovy eggs. The hens were fine.

 

[chuckachucka]

Also unfortunately it is not possible to be certain of egg fertility before incubation. The best bet is to get eggs from someone with a rooster and as few hens as possible, where the birds are all healthy and age 1-2 years roughly, and where the eggs are less than a week old. The eggs must also be stored and handled correctly prior to giving them to your broody. If you give her more eggs now, you can check fertility earlier than 10 days (the earliest is around 4 days) so that your hen doesn' sit too much longer on bad eggs again.

You could consider getting some day old chicks to give her instead though, if you don't want her to sit more.

 

[CJClucks]

Thanks to all for the advice. The eggs she’s on were put under her the same day they were laid but came from a group of 8 hens with one rooster so perhaps I just got unlucky in who laid that day.
I have a dog crate & have read the about how to try & break her broodiness. Not sure what I will do yet. Going to think about it overnight.