Dead chicks in the shell, but out of the nesting box

[TwinkleUp]

My five-year old Marans has been persistently broody for almost two months and I kept removing the eggs, but we went on vacation three weeks ago, and came home to find her sitting on six eggs. I left them for her, figuring at her age, this might be her last hurrah. The other day, I found an opened egg with an almost fully developed chick and blood about a foot away from the nesting box.

Yesterday, I noticed another hen is getting broody, not sitting yet, just fluffed up and very vocal and angry. A few minutes ago, I checked the coop. Both hens were crammed into the box, and there was another open egg with a dead, but fully developed chick about a foot away from the box. I now have the younger hen in a crate on our back porch.

Were the chicks victims of the squashing of two broody hens in the same box? Did they die in the shell and get pushed out by the hen? Both chicks were curled up in their eggs, not trying to hatch. Any ideas?

 

[sourland]

Very frequently 2 hens trying to co brood will inadvertently jostle/crack/break eggs. In my experience co brooding has generally resulted in reduced hatch rates. Good luck with the remaining eggs.

 

[cooingdove]

this happened to me 3 weeks ago super sad
hope you get some live chicks from this brood (I did not)

 

[TwinkleUp]

So I just read on another thread that broody hens will steal each other’s eggs, and I realized that is what’s happening. My senior hen had six eggs under her when we got back from vacation. Two ended up outside the box with dead chicks, and I checked her a few minutes ago, and she was sitting on one egg.

Meanwhile, the other broody hen was in the adjacent box, was sitting on six eggs, obviously more than she and my other two non-broody hens could have laid this morning. So she’s back in the dog crate on the back porch. This time I will be strong and keep her there for a few days. I put the eggs back under my old girl.

What a mess! I am going to candle all the eggs I’ve gathered recently. I’m worried I brought eggs with chicks into the house. I had no idea hens could move eggs!