Day 21 need advice

[Balboaroc]

I am on day 21 of a Silkie hen sitting on eggs. I had 6 eggs to start. This is her first time, and ours sitting a hen on eggs. It did not go well. I went out this morning to find one hatched and pecked and another hatched with a broken neck from it being attacked. I grabbed thè egg hatching in progress and the peep is now happy in a brooder.

I have 3 eggs left. 2 are not viable when candled...they just never developed. My final egg looks good but is showing no signs of hatching yet. No piping, no movement. When I candled tonight from paranoia I see mostly dark, large air sac, some veins.

What do I do? I'm paranoid it's going to hatch late while I sleep and get killed. I have no incubator. Is no movement a bad sign like I think it is? Could I incubate this myself the rest of the way?

The good news is the person I got the eggs from has hatchlings as well so I can get some peeps of the same age range for my survivor come Monday.

Today did not go as I had hoped and I will personally never have a hen sit again . I'll do an incubator!

Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Who's attacking the chicks? The setting hen or other hens? Hatching with an incubator comes with troubles too, so both ways require some work to make sure it works out well.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally eggs hatch on day 20 under a broody, they occasionally go to day 21. If they don't hatch by day 22-23 I consider them no good and remove them. Some will look good but they have died already.

 

[Balboaroc]

Today is definitely day 21. I put the eggs under her on a Saturday evening. She is attacking and the other ones in the coop as well. I was going to move her a few days ago and some people on a Facebook chicken group said not too because she could lose interest in sitting. Now the peeps were attacked.

It's terrible. I had no way to fully section her off from the rest of the coop without a move. But as my husband said I could have moved her and she could have still attacked them.

I just feel so bad and I keep hoping this last egg is truly good.

Should there be some movement? Could I carry it around in my shirt to keep it warm till morning and it hopefully hatches? Lol. Sadly I'm only half kidding.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have finished hatching eggs under a heat lamp, so I understand your worry. Generally they won't hatch if they haven't by now. I personally will move a broody and hen after a few have hatch to a circle of fencing wire to keep them separately, and most hens will be compliant, some not so much, those I will pull chicks to keep them safe until the hatch is done.

Since your broody is also attacking them, something that will happen sometimes, especially in first time broodies I will pull chicks as they hatch, or after they have pipped to keep them safe.

I might pull the remaining egg for incubation elsewhere if I knew it was good, but pulling a potentially rotten egg isn't a good idea. You can certainly check her throughout the night to see if it's hatching and check at first light for a chick, but if it hasn't hatched by the end of today the odds are slimmer that it will. It should have at least broke into the air cell by now in an attempt to pip.

Don't be too rough on yourself, you didn't know she would attack them, though now you know next time if you use a broody hen you will be ready for the behavior, and it's best to pull chicks and brood them yourself if you see any aggression. I personally use broodies all the time to hatch, and don't always leave the chicks with them.

 

[Balboaroc]

Thanks for your insight. I really appreciate it. I'll check her a time or two before bed and with it being dark out I'll give a good check to that one egg. I'll set my alarm to get up super early if nothing starts hatching tonight.

 

[Mattemma]

I know the feeling. I have a broody in egg sitting mode that I put on hatching eggs my momma hen left after she just hatched six. My egg sitter smothered 2 out of 4. I grabbed one still wet after finding the last smooshed. I too have read of heat lamps as well as putting an egg in your bra.