HELP!!!! Broody hen hatched out 4 chicks and is off the nest??????

[chicknfishn]

My broody hen just hatched out 4 chicks and still has 6 eggs left.

When I checked earlier this morning she was still on the nest. A couple of minutes ago I went out there and she was off with her new chicks.

However there are still 6 eggs left. Potential babies inside those eggs. I brought the eggs in the house and am warming up the incubator.

Should I put them in and try to up the humidity and try to hatch or what?

I am worried that they were cold from a couple of hours without her on them and the humidity of course is all wrong.

Will they be able to pip and hatch with what has happened.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Yep, get them in the bator and they might hatch. Did you date the eggs to make sure they all "started" at the same time? If they did all start at the same time, they might have not been fertile or have quit, so you may want to candle them.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

My broody just did the exact same thing! I got 4 chicks. I let her keep them for four more days......

Two were non-starters, barely formed chicks inside that had clearly stopped growing weeks ago. 6 were either non fertile or just did not develop.

I had dated them. 9 were from the same two days one later (she stole it)

I was disappointed to get only 4, but they are all healthy! Good luck!

 

[chicknfishn]

Yes they all started at the same time. I was collecting eggs and I moved her and gave her all of the saved eggs at the same time.

She didn't have a chance to start some earleir or for other hens to lay on top of her. One chick hatched yesterday morning, one in the afternoon and 2 in the middle of the night.

Will the chicks be able to pip if the humidity went low, or will they be encased in there and can't pip through the dry membrane? There is no way to help except up the humidity right?

Also should I chance candling them now? I did candle them last week and everything looked good. One thing that I did notice about her, was that opposed to other hens it didn't look like she turned the eggs as often as other broodies did.

Would that have an impact on hatching time?

 

[chicknfishn]

Anyone else?

 

[MilkMaid]

Well, I am no expert, but my hens will leave the nest temporarily with their chicks and then come back to set on the remaining eggs for a few days. They will go back and forth. I still have had chicks hatch a day or so after mom has started to leave the nest with her chicks. Actually, I frequently have chicks hatch in a nest that mom has left and only sets on in the evenings with all her already hatched chicks. I don't know how it happens, but it seems to happen fairly regularly around here.