Eggs under broody hen

[Stinkin Cute Chickens]

Hi! 2 or 3 weeks ago one of our hens began sitting on a couple of eggs. I am not exactly sure when. After a week or 10 days, it looked like she was shifted over so I reached under her and there were 4 more eggs for a total of 6. I guessed that around now would be the 21 days for the first eggs and I candled them all- I didn't realize you don't move after day 18. Two eggs were almost all black with a section of clear, I'm now guessing the air sac. Other eggs were entirely clear.
Should the eggs be put back under the hen in any particular orientation to be set for hatching? I just put them back as quickly as possible to keep them warm and not bug the hen but now I'm thinking maybe I should have been more calculated about it.
I was planning on letting nature take its course and not even checking on them but I obviously couldn't help myself and I want to assist if needed.
The hen is with her flock but not in the nesting boxes. Should I move her to protect any potential chicks from the rest of the flock?

 

[Cloverr39]

The clear eggs probably aren't gonna hatch. Personally I would take the clear eggs out, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. Besides you don't want to move or candle the eggs anymore if they're close to hatching. As for the positioning of the eggs I don't think that matters. The hen should know what she's doing.

 

[Stinkin Cute Chickens]

I was wondering if the eggs that are clear were just laid in the last couple of days. I was thinking maybe the other silkie in the flock is laying her eggs and giving them to the broody. Is that a thing? Because every time I check there are more eggs and I'm not finding the silkie eggs in the nesting box where the other hens are laying. In any case, I won't move anything for awhile longer and see what happens to the eggs that are mostly black. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Coops Dad]

For future reference, hens will lay on top of a broody hen's clutch and keep adding eggs until she can't even cover them all. I found a hidden nest in my field with a clutch is 22 eggs, and one little Ameracauna setting on it.

Next time, try to move the hen and her eggs to a separate brooding pen, or mark the original eggs with a pencil and remove any other eggs every day/every other day.

 

[SueT]

Definitely mark the eggs that are already there. However, now you have a wildly staggered clutch. Often a broody hen will wait to get off the nest until the later eggs hatch. This isn’t good for the first chicks who need to eat and drink within 2 days.
What’s your plan to deal with this? I would remove all the ‘clear’ eggs, and let mama raise the first babies that hatch.

 

[Stinkin Cute Chickens]

For future reference, hens will lay on top of a broody hen's clutch and keep adding eggs until she can't even cover them all. I found a hidden nest in my field with a clutch is 22 eggs, and one little Ameracauna setting on it.

Next time, try to move the hen and her eggs to a separate brooding pen, or mark the original eggs with a pencil and remove any other eggs every day/every other day.

Yea I'm totally realizing I should have done this. I need to create an area for her and her chicks to go into when they hatch and I'll use that for her when she goes broody in the future. At this point should I just wait until something happens with the 2 eggs that were dark when I candled and move her at that point and take the rest of the eggs?

 

[sourland]

Since you feel that you are close to 21 days, I would just leave her alone. I would; however, limit access to her nest by other hens.

 

[Stinkin Cute Chickens]

Update: we've got one chick and have moved the hen and chick and eggs inside to their own space. One egg broke in the process and had brown goo in it and smelled like death. I'm guessing that's what a not viable egg is after being sat on for awhile?
Hopefully this hen is as good a mama as she is a sitter.
We will check on the baby and candle the rest of the eggs tonight and see if any are looking viable and think about whether or not to let her keep sitting on any or focus only on the one that is out.

 

[Stinkin Cute Chickens]

So I just checked the eggs and 4 of the 5 left look super dark with an air sac and veins and movement inside. Is the hen unable to raise the chick that has already hatched while she sits on those remaining eggs?
How do chicks hatched in an incubator learn to eat and drink without a mother hen present? I want to give her the chance to raise the chick but also don't feel great about pulling the rest of the eggs when they also seem pretty far developed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So I just checked the eggs and 4 of the 5 left look super dark with an air sac and veins and movement inside. Is the hen unable to raise the chick that has already hatched while she sits on those remaining eggs?

Before they hatch the chick absorbs the yolk. They can live off of that without eating or drinking for 72 hours or more. That's nature's way of allowing the first to hatch to wait for the later ones to hatch. No need to panic yet.

Staggered hatches are really stressful, I'm sure you'll manage differently next time. But this is this time. The chicks talk to the hen. After they internal pip they start peeping while inside the egg. That let's Mama know that they are on the way, don't leave me. But at some point the first ones that hatch will get hungry and thirsty. They will let Mama know that. At that point she has to decide whether she takes the first ones off the nest or waits for the latest. Most choose to abandon the nest and take care of the first ones. Like I said, it gets stressful.

What are your options? If she brings the first chicks off of the nest you can put any remaining eggs in an incubator and try to hatch them if you have one. If they hatch in a couple of days you have a fair chance of giving them back to Mama to raise. That doesn't always work but sometimes it does. Another option is to take the first chicks away and brood them yourself, she might stay on the nest to hatch the others or she may abandon the nest since some did hatch. Or you can let nature take its course.

How do chicks hatched in an incubator learn to eat and drink without a mother hen present?

Good question in case you decide to brood them yourself. What kind of waterer do you plan to use? If it is a bowl, dip the chick's beak in the water when you put the chick in the brooder. Almost always once is enough. Once one learns the rest usually learn from them. I don't use nipples so I don't know about them.

For food they usually pretty naturally know to peck at it. For the first couple of days you might put some in a shallow pan and tap it with your finger to show them where it is. Again, they learn from each other.