Day 21.... and NOTHING!

[newchik]

It is exactly 21 days since I put the eggs under my hen. The eggs are Australorp, the hen is polish/cochin mix and a GOOOD hen for keeping her eggs warm.

I put them under her in the afternoon 21 days ago - nearly to the minute from now. Do I do anything special? I've gone in to peek, and she lets me lift her to look at the eggs, and not a PIP! I am not sure if I'm supposed to, but I picked up each egg this morning and stuck it in front of the flashlight beam and the egg would not let light through it. I even *think* I felt one move a little in my hand. But still, no pips.

Will my hen do what is right, or do I need to monitor her closely to keep an eye on the situation?

And at what point do I call it quits?

She has only 3 eggs under her right now.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I always leave my broodies alone to hatch out chicks...they know if they are going to make it or not....and she will know when to get up and call it quits...your weather could have played a part so I would give her time....

 

[newchik]

There is still nothing.

Will my hen move when they start pipping? Will she give me some sign that they are trying to come out, or will I just look one time and have chicks in there?

My kids are so anxious, they keep going out there and checking. The rooster is NOT happy about all that invasion of his space!

 

[shortcake1806]

Whenever our hens set we only know they have chicks when they show up with little fuzzy butts. I've never seen a chick hatched by a broody before it had completly dried off.

 

[newchik]

Well, that is good to know. I will just leave her alone, then. Hard to do when I'm SO ANXIOUS!!! This is my first set of chicks, so I am so worried that I messed up the storage of the eggs before giving them to her. I know she has done her job well, I have only seen her up and stretching her legs once in the 21 days, and then she sat right back down on them. I am hoping at least one of the eggs will hatch, because I took it straight from the laying mother and put it under her with the others at the same time.

This is almost worse than waiting for my OWN kids to be born!

How long from the first pip until a chick is hatched - minutes or hours?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I never touch or mess with my broodies when they are setting...The only way I know when they have hatched out the clutch is to see little peepers

peeking out from momma...

 

[kees]

I'm going through the same thing except it's been almost a MONTH and when I opened up an egg last week I found that I had killed a developing chick that still had quite a bit of yolk attached to it. Needless to say, I'm going crazy trying to figure out when, and if, anything will hatch.

 

[coopist]

It's important to remember that broody hens are on nature's clock, not ours. She may have gotten off the nest enough to make hatch a full day late. The best thing by far is to let her do her job.

It can take hours for the chicks to hatch. Patience is key.

 

[kees]

Hang in there! My first Silkie chick hatched after a month! I opened a couple after the hatching date and inadvertently killed a couple.

Today one hatched! So, I don't know why mine are taking so long, but as more than one person said, just let nature take it's course. It'll happen...

 

[newchik]

Still nothing... Day 24