Finishing hatch ??

[hmbrown05]

I have a broody who hatched 3 of her 16 eggs Wednesday afternoon. She stayed faithfully on the nest all day yesterday, but hubby said he saw her tootling around with the chicks a couple of times today. When I got home this afternoon she was back on it with her chicks. My question is, is it worth taking the remaining eggs tonight and trying to complete the hatch? I don't have a formal incubator, but can rig something that would suffice if it was just another day or two ad I would be home to monitor the eggs. It is warm and really humid here right (upper 60's or more on humidity and mid 80's for temp) now as we have a tropical storm moving through this weekend so I don't think the remaining eggs would have gotten too cool or dried out with her being off them today.

 

[red horse ranch]

I usually find that quite a few eggs under a broody hen will not hatch. If all 16 of the eggs came from the same hen, some of the eggs may have been too old to hatch. However, if other hens were laying eggs in her nest after she started brooding, they may have had different hatch dates. If the hen spends the night on the eggs I would wait until tomorrow to decide. You could take a bright flashlight out tonight after dark and candle each egg. That way you would know if there is even anything in the eggs.

 

[hmbrown05]

The problem is that she is an easter egger and Idon't have a bright enough light to see through her green eggs. She had 4 that were from my leghorns and I am pretty sure those are of the three that hatched. Her eggs are pullet eggs too as I hadn't even gotten eggs from her in the coop before she started her sneeky nesting, lol so don't know that any would have survived with so little space. The other hen (also and EE) who went broody hatched 6 of 22 with only one actually being from her eggs and boy was it TINY, but oh so cute . Oh well, we'll see I guess