I have learnt never to give up on an egg... even one that I think has no chance of hatching.
It all goes back to one sad event a few years ago when I just started keeping chickens.....
A hen had been brooding her clutch of eggs for what seemed like forever. I thought they must be well past the hatch date.. the white egg shells had turned yellow and looked extra shiny. I researched on line about the float test. So I did it. 2 eggs were light and hollow. No chicks for sure inside. The other 2 SANK like stones to the bottom of the water and lay motionless on their sides. According the in info I found that means they did not develop. So (not wanting a stinky exploding egg) I threw the last 2 over the wall into the field. But one egg hit the wall and fell to the floor.
I was devastated to see a well formed chick in there and very much alive. Sadly there was nothing I could do and it died quickly.
Since that day I have never given up on an egg.. no matter how unlikely it was to hatch. Here are some of my experiences... All with happy results.
The Flood
A hen made her nest on the run floor in the corner. She was brooding her eggs.. Only a week to go. Then we had the worst storm in years during the night. In the morning I saw her sitting up to her middle in cold water that had flooded the entire run. Her eggs were floating around all over the place. Stone cold. I collected them, dried the hen off and put her and the eggs into a nest box... I closed her in to stop her trying to get back to her first nesting place (which she was determined to do). She carried on brooding the eggs and they all hatched!!
The Fall
I had a next box actually fall to the floor with hen and eggs!! She had nested in one of the pigeon boxes and she and her eggs were too heavy for it. I found a distressed hen and scattered eggs on the sand coop floor. I collected them (and the eggs that were not broken), and the hen, and put her into the proper chicken nest box. Again most of her eggs hatched despite the 6 foot drop. I think the sand helped to cushion the fall!
The Rejected
Another hen kept rolling eggs out of the nest at the rate of one a day. I would find them cold in the corner of her nest box. I would then put them under a second broody. In the end the hen ended up with only one egg left from her 10. So she only had to look after one baby! The other hens hatched out the orphaned eggs. Most of them hatched!
The Bad Broody
A hen finished her clutch, went broody and sat for several days. Then suddenly decided she can't be bothered with it! She was off the nest in the morning. She would not go back all day.. not until the next evening. During that time the eggs cooled down. I was sure they would not hatch. The broody went back to her duties that next evening and sat well for the rest of the time. Again ALL HER EGGS HATCHED!
The Broken
My pair of fancy pigeons somehow managed to break one of their eggs.. There was a huge dint in the side! I went to remove it.. and as I picked it up a small square segment of shell fell off. I could see a baby chick inside and it was moving!. I could not find the missing shell segment. So I decided to tape the egg together with sticky tape!!! It worked .. the chick had a little window! 5 days later both their eggs hatched normally and I had 2 very healthy squabs.
So everyone.... never give up on your birds eggs no matter what... you could have a lovely surprise!
It all goes back to one sad event a few years ago when I just started keeping chickens.....
A hen had been brooding her clutch of eggs for what seemed like forever. I thought they must be well past the hatch date.. the white egg shells had turned yellow and looked extra shiny. I researched on line about the float test. So I did it. 2 eggs were light and hollow. No chicks for sure inside. The other 2 SANK like stones to the bottom of the water and lay motionless on their sides. According the in info I found that means they did not develop. So (not wanting a stinky exploding egg) I threw the last 2 over the wall into the field. But one egg hit the wall and fell to the floor.
I was devastated to see a well formed chick in there and very much alive. Sadly there was nothing I could do and it died quickly.
Since that day I have never given up on an egg.. no matter how unlikely it was to hatch. Here are some of my experiences... All with happy results.
The Flood
A hen made her nest on the run floor in the corner. She was brooding her eggs.. Only a week to go. Then we had the worst storm in years during the night. In the morning I saw her sitting up to her middle in cold water that had flooded the entire run. Her eggs were floating around all over the place. Stone cold. I collected them, dried the hen off and put her and the eggs into a nest box... I closed her in to stop her trying to get back to her first nesting place (which she was determined to do). She carried on brooding the eggs and they all hatched!!
The Fall
I had a next box actually fall to the floor with hen and eggs!! She had nested in one of the pigeon boxes and she and her eggs were too heavy for it. I found a distressed hen and scattered eggs on the sand coop floor. I collected them (and the eggs that were not broken), and the hen, and put her into the proper chicken nest box. Again most of her eggs hatched despite the 6 foot drop. I think the sand helped to cushion the fall!
The Rejected
Another hen kept rolling eggs out of the nest at the rate of one a day. I would find them cold in the corner of her nest box. I would then put them under a second broody. In the end the hen ended up with only one egg left from her 10. So she only had to look after one baby! The other hens hatched out the orphaned eggs. Most of them hatched!
The Bad Broody
A hen finished her clutch, went broody and sat for several days. Then suddenly decided she can't be bothered with it! She was off the nest in the morning. She would not go back all day.. not until the next evening. During that time the eggs cooled down. I was sure they would not hatch. The broody went back to her duties that next evening and sat well for the rest of the time. Again ALL HER EGGS HATCHED!
The Broken
My pair of fancy pigeons somehow managed to break one of their eggs.. There was a huge dint in the side! I went to remove it.. and as I picked it up a small square segment of shell fell off. I could see a baby chick inside and it was moving!. I could not find the missing shell segment. So I decided to tape the egg together with sticky tape!!! It worked .. the chick had a little window! 5 days later both their eggs hatched normally and I had 2 very healthy squabs.
So everyone.... never give up on your birds eggs no matter what... you could have a lovely surprise!
