He’s pecking into eggs that are almost ready to hatch

[lbogner]

Thank you in advance for reading my post and your help. I have two broody favetolles, they are housed with 2 Cemani hens, their last batch of 3 chicks they hatched 4 months or so ago, and a Silkies rooster.
This is the same mix of birds that were in there the last hatch so I wasn’t concerned about their mothering/hatching abilities, or about separating them.

I noticed one of their clutch of eggs hatched yesterday and noticed today that now the Cemani hens were also sitting on the nest. I decided to candle the remaining eggs and when I did I realized several of them were pecked open with now dead chicks at various stages of development inside. So I’m sure one of those hen is purposely destroying them. There are 3 eggs that are internally pipped so I took them to the incubator until I figure out who is killing eggs and maybe I have to separate the broodies. Dang, more work than I really was hoping for!
Has anyone experienced this and what did you do? Or whet might you suggest. Why would these hens do this? They aren’t attacking the 1 chick already hatched. Always something else to learn about these chickens!
Thank you!

 

[MROO]

Thank you in advance for reading my post and your help. I have two broody favetolles, they are housed with 2 Cemani hens, their last batch of 3 chicks they hatched 4 months or so ago, and a Silkies rooster.
This is the same mix of birds that were in there the last hatch so I wasn’t concerned about their mothering/hatching abilities, or about separating them.

I noticed one of their clutch of eggs hatched yesterday and noticed today that now the Cemani hens were also sitting on the nest. I decided to candle the remaining eggs and when I did I realized several of them were pecked open with now dead chicks at various stages of development inside. So I’m sure one of those hen is purposely destroying them. There are 3 eggs that are internally pipped so I took them to the incubator until I figure out who is killing eggs and maybe I have to separate the broodies. Dang, more work than I really was hoping for!
Has anyone experienced this and what did you do? Or whet might you suggest. Why would these hens do this? They aren’t attacking the 1 chick already hatched. Always something else to learn about these chickens!
Thank you!

I have a Nankin Bantam hen that gets REALLY upset when those nasty little yellow things start breaking her eggs. Nankins tend to have better hatch rates under a broody than in a 'bator, but this just wasn't working - she'd killed three before we realized what was going on! We've pretty much resolved the issue by letting her set for about two weeks, then finishing the hatch in the incubator.
Until you know which hens is The Chickinator, your best bet is to separate your broodies. That will not only help you isolate the offender, but will limit multi-stage hatchings, if only by keeping other hens from sneaking an extra egg under your broody while she goes off to do her "dailies."