Don’t know how long hen has been on eggs!

[MillieTu]

My hen is broody and sitting on 14 eggs, I think noticed her 23 days ago. I have moved her to a separate coop and candled at approx 18 days (dark with air line at the bottom) I’m unsure how many days she has been “incubating” them. What shall I do?, how long shall I wait? Will they hatch
First time hatchers

 

[Ruthster55]

Wait at least a few more days, especially if the weather has been cool, as I am guessing it has in your location.

I just had one that hatched on day 25 or 26! I am in a cool climate at elevation.

 

[50-45-1]

So if the nest you found her on was accessible to multiple hens, you could have staggered batch, meaning not all eggs are due to hatch at the same time. If a fresh egg was laid in the clutch each day this means chick could hatch each day for 21 days! This usually ends badly.what I would do is continue to let her set, and when she has a couple days worth of chicks, then
Move the unhatched eggs and finish them in an incubator. You could tuck the new hatchlings under her for a week, but after that newborn chicks get knocked about by the week olds.
All this assuming you have a rooster and eggs are fertle.

 

[MillieTu]

Wait at least a few more days, especially if the weather has been cool, as I am guessing it has in your location.

I just had one that hatched on day 25 or 26! I am in a cool climate at elevation.

Yes weather has cooled down over the past 7 days in my area. Still nothing yet but hen still keeping them warm

 

[MillieTu]

So if the nest you found her on was accessible to multiple hens, you could have staggered batch, meaning not all eggs are due to hatch at the same time. If a fresh egg was laid in the clutch each day this means chick could hatch each day for 21 days! This usually ends badly.what I would do is continue to let her set, and when she has a couple days worth of chicks, then
Move the unhatched eggs and finish them in an incubator. You could tuck the new hatchlings under her for a week, but after that newborn chicks get knocked about by the week olds.
All this assuming you have a rooster and eggs are fertle.

Yes her nest was accessible to 4 other hens, we moved her to a new coop approx 14 days after sitting on them. I have the incubator ready if needed I think we are on day 26 and still nothing!

 

[50-45-1]

So she was moved to her own space 14 days in, so no new eggs after that.
I think that would mean you could see chicks anytime for the next 8 to 10 days.
Let us know what happens.
You did say you have at least one rooster right?

 

[MillieTu]

So she was moved to her own space 14 days in, so no new eggs after that.
I think that would mean you could see chicks anytime for the next 8 to 10 days.
Let us know what happens.
You did say you have at least one rooster right?

I'll keep you updated
Yes 1 rooster, all the eggs are fertile. I removed a few that weren't

 

[50-45-1]

5 hens to one rooster, i would expect all to be fertile.
What you may see while candeling would be development at different stages due to stagered batch.
personally, i never candle. Especially with a broody hen.
What hatches, hatches. What does not, does not and i discard it then.
never had an egg explode under a hen or in my incubator.

 

[MillieTu]

We have 3 chicks so far today

 

[MissTracy]

How cute!! I currently have two bantams and a guinea hen broody, after I went on vacation and my husband was a little less careful about egg collection than normal So far I have two chicks and three keets, with probably 20-30 more eggs cooking. They are all at very different stages of development and I have just been removing the babies to a brooder once dry. I am not sure how long the girls will stay broody, if they will hatch all of the eggs or not. I did have to put the guinea eggs under the chickens because the guinea was crushing the babies trying to hatch Good luck with your feathery friends!!