Eggs not all hatching at once???

[boilerjoe_96]

Hen has been on eggs 26 days. 1 hatched on day 23 and one on day 24. Chicks are in unheated barn (it has gotten cold).

About day 15 she kicked out 4 eggs. I thought all the eggs would be at same stage of development. they were not. One had a formed chick while the others seemed to be a week behind. Is this possible?

It is not likely that eggs got stuffed under her later. I pulled an egg at day 25 and unfortunately had a formed chick and it was moving!!! It was about the same as a reject on day 15(seemed to need another week)

Is it possible they did not all develop at same time? It has been cold (some nights as low as 10). I let her continue to sit on the remaining eggs since the one appeared to be still viable just behind.... Hen hasn't move off nest to my knowledge since 11/30. I take food and water to her.

 

[seminolewind]

Maybe she sat on them as she laid them instead of laying them all and then setting? Maybe there were too many and some got cold? Maybe she didn't rotate the eggs from the perimeter to the interior?

 

[Katy]

Are you sure there isn't the possibility that another hen continued to lay in the nest after she started setting? That would account for the different stages of development.

 

[Cara]

Maybe some died earlier than others?

 

[KKluckers]

Quote:
Thats What I would guess on.

 

[rooster-red]

When it really gets cold the eggs around the outer perimeter get colder and develop slower.

Other hens will sometimes lay beside a broody, adding to her clutch and she will move them under her.

The eggs that she kicked out weren't going to make it, they sense this and move them away from the viable eggs. They may have been infertile.