Day 25

[Lisa L]

Day 25 and my hen won’t leave her eggs. I’m worried she is harming herself. At what point do I intervene? I thought they gave up after this amount of time. She and two others have sort of been taking turns laying on two sets of eggs, but she has been at it the longest. Any advice will help. Thank you.

 

[R2elk]

Day 25 and my hen won’t leave her eggs. I’m worried she is harming herself. At what point do I intervene? I thought they gave up after this amount of time. She and two others have sort of been taking turns laying on two sets of eggs, but she has been at it the longest. Any advice will help. Thank you.

Candle the eggs and determine whether or not they are viable. If they are viable you can leave her be. If they are not viable, take them away and take her off of the nest.

Chickens do not have an automatic timer that tells them when to quit sitting. It is why we can get them to hatch eggs that take longer such as turkey, guinea or duck eggs. They will sit until the eggs hatch or until someone or something destroys the nest.

You may need to use broody breaking techniques to deal with her if the eggs are not viable.