Egg Hatching Help

[Michellep224]

So I am extremely new to chickens.
I have done a lot of research, but haven't found the answers to my questions, and would just like to get some advice.
My bantams were laying. At first we were eating the eggs, and then we saw one of the hens setting and decided to fix her a box. We hope she will hatch the eggs.
Acquiring the chickens was rather unexpected, and we are in the process of fixing a permanent home for them all. Right now they are in a rabbit hutch. I didn't have anywhere for my banty rooster so they are all together. The other hen and rooster likes to sleep in the box with broody hen and eggs at night time. Is that a problem?
At first we had trouble getting her to sit on the eggs regularly. Now she sits on them all of the time, only getting up to eat or drink.
Also, I know there should be bedding in the box. But every time I put it in there the chickens tip box over to scratch the bedding.
I don't know exactly how many days she's been setting, but it's been a few weeks now and no chicks. I suspect many are no good.
My biggest problem is that the other banty hens are still laying in the box, so there is no way to tell which eggs are newer, and which are old.
I don't have equipment to candle.
Should I go ahead and float test them??
What should I do?

 

[MROO]

You'll get better - or at least more - responses to this if you post it in the "Incubating and Hatching Eggs" forum. But candling is easy, even without the "proper" equipment. Originally,it was done with ... you guessed it ... a candle! All you really need is a strong flashlight. If you don't have a small one, use a large one and cut a piece of cardboard to cover the lens, but leave a half-inch (1 cm) hole for the light to shine through. Hold your egg upright with the butt end down on the light an d let the light shine through. Voila! A homemade candler! You'll need darkness to do this properly. If you can't shut the lights out in the room, do your candling inside a box.
Good Luck!

 

[Michellep224]

Hello! Thanks for replying!
I did candling, and the float test.
I separated the ones that looked bad. 1 kept 2 that looked good, and 3 I was unsure about.
Well I was curious and broke open the ones that looked bad. Most were rotten, but one had a live, healthy chick in it!! )':
I stopped and put the rest back under mommy... ugh..

 

[Jbently28]

It takes 21 days for them to hatch. If she's been sitting for a few weeks than it would be hard to see anything in them if they are close to hatching. If they have already internally pipped (broken through the inner membrane) than the egg will look almost completely dark.

 

[Michellep224]

I did all the tests. First I tapped and listened for noise, feeling for movement. I inspected all the eggs for cracks and pips. I candled with the brightest LED flashlight I could find. When I gently rotated the eggs under the light there were several that had a small air pocket, but it moved around like liquid, and just didn't look right. When I did the float test on those they sunk automatically.
A few of them sunk, but sat slightly upright.
A couple of them sat correctly, where they were just a little out of the water.
And a few popped right to the top and floated.

When I cracked open the bad eggs they were obviously bad, hard and odd-colored and smelly. I was almost all the way through cracking the bad eggs when I cracked the live egg. The chick was probably around the 12th day of development according to a chick fetal chart. I Googled how to save it, and I did not have the means to, so I humanely ended the poor chick.
I have been so torn up about it.. I don't think I will ever do that again.. If my eggs don't hatch I'll just wait until the hen gives up on them...

 

[RubyNala97]

Just a couple suggestions..
I would take out the box and just put some bedding (straw or wood chips in that corner there. The hen will make herself a nice little nest. Once there are enough eggs for her to sit on she will start sitting, being broody. At that point, take a marker and mark the eggs that are under her. Lots of people draw a circle around the whole egg. Then each day when she gets off the nest (or you can just lift her up) check the eggs and pull out any new eggs that don’t have the marker on them. This way all the eggs are due at the same time. And there won’t be old & new eggs mixed together.

Don’t beat himself yourself up about opening the egg. Everything is a learning experience. Trust me, I know how terrible it feels. We’ve all been there one way or another. As you get more practice with candling eggs you’ll know exactly what to look for. Walmart sells small led flashlights for .98 cents. Fresh batteries also helps, as the light will be the brightest.

 

[Michellep224]

Thanks for the ideas! I think I'll leave my broody hen be for now. Next week I'm supposed to get a new coop and run for them in the mail. If none of her eggs hatch I'll just ditch them, and start new in the new coop.
I'll use your technique and draw a line all around them.
After she has enough eggs I take the new ones away? They are still fertile, right? How long are they viable without incubation?

 

[RubyNala97]

Thanks for the ideas! I think I'll leave my broody hen be for now. Next week I'm supposed to get a new coop and run for them in the mail. If none of her eggs hatch I'll just ditch them, and start new in the new coop.
I'll use your technique and draw a line all around them.
After she has enough eggs I take the new ones away? They are still fertile, right? How long are they viable without incubation?

Yes, once she goes broody and starts sitting other hens may go and lay their eggs and add them to hers. Check each day and take out any newly laid eggs. They will still be fertile. Fertility is the best when the eggs are fresh and decreases over time. 7-10 days after the egg is laid is usually the best time frame for fertility but I’ve had them stay fertile for up to a month!

 

[Michellep224]

Update!!
So I candled again!
I can see movement in a few of the eggs that are left!!
I also see veining in a couple of the other eggs, which means they are newer than the moving eggs. What do I do about this?
Will she continue to set the still-growing eggs after the chicks hatch, or will she abandon them? Do I need to buy an incubator?
These are bantam chickens, so they are little, and the eggs are tiny. What do I put the mom and babies in once they hatch? The bars on my coop are too wide for the chicks XD

 

[RubyNala97]

Update!!
So I candled again!
I can see movement in a few of the eggs that are left!!
I also see veining in a couple of the other eggs, which means they are newer than the moving eggs. What do I do about this?
Will she continue to set the still-growing eggs after the chicks hatch, or will she abandon them? Do I need to buy an incubator?
These are bantam chickens, so they are little, and the eggs are tiny. What do I put the mom and babies in once they hatch? The bars on my coop are too wide for the chicks XD

So you have a couple options. Once the chicks have arrived and are a couple days old she will have to abandon the nest to care for her babies. If you have eggs that have just started to develop you can either throw them out or yes, buy an incubator and hatch them yourself.

As for once the chicks hatch & housing, you can either baby proof the coop you have now or move them to a nursery. I have a small coop & run that I use from mom & babies and it also houses just a couple of other chickens that are very sweet and love helping raising babies. I know some people love getting broody hens and letting them hatch babies but I’m not one of them. Lol. I find it to be a ton of work!