day 23 with broody hen - what to do?

[ajplmama]

I'm on day 23 waiting for two broody hens to hatch out 3 jersey giant eggs. One hen is a phoenix and the other is a silver laced wyandotte. I've never had a brood go over the usual 21 days under a hen so I'm really worried. they should have hatched Friday and both Thursday, Friday and Saturday night I could hear pecking but no peeping inside 2 of the eggs. Still some pecking but very faint this morning. I'm wondering if I should just keep waiting? The weather has been really cold for this time of year with the barn going down to 5 or 6 Celcius each night but a few. Could this slow the eggs down?

Any suggestions? Words of wsdom? Is there still a chance I'll end up with a chick or two?

 

[chicken delighted]

i would give it a couple more days i had a broody wait 3 days till all hatched. if your at 23 let it go to 25. if the broody is fine with it go for it
as for temp if you want you could run a heat lamp to keep the gals warm. just keep feed and water close to your hens as they sit
do you know for sure your egg were fertile? if they are wait
good luck!!

 

[ajplmama]

I can hear pecking inside two of them. When I went out and checked an hour ago the hen had opened one egg and there was nothing inside but goop. The two that I heard pecking inside are still intact.

 

[oesdog]

Leave her alone with them a few more days. You are right temp does change timings and she could have got off and let them cool and all sorts. You just don;t know. Sounds like she was doing a bit of checking herself opening the DUD egg. Funny how they know isn;t it?

I had incubator eggs go over a full 6/7 days and got 2 live chicks though never went over with a broody. Mine hatched day 26/27 so there is hope. I know that others here have had eggs hatch Day 25. Personally because Ihad late hatchers that lived I leave mine until day 30 no later as if they are bad they can explode. Normally I would have tossed at day 25 but due to having two chicks live after that I tend to wait until all hope is gone. I hope you get a chick by the end of today? Could you have miss counted your dates???

Oesdog - don;t give up but don;t keep bothering your hen either.

 

[ajplmama]

I definitely didn't miscount but I won't give up. I've been reading here about lots of late hatches so I'm a bit hopeful. It's amazing how they know. Funny she just decided to open it now instead of earlier.

 

[ajplmama]

Well bummer

There had been no noise from the eggs all day yesterday so today I opened one, day 25. It appeared to be fully formed but dead. I don't know what happened. I feel so bad that on day 21/22 I could hear the chick inside but somehow it didn't get out.