Okay - have 3 Jersey Giants that all decided to go broody, as did 2 silkies & 1 banty cochin. One of the Giants, J.J., has been SO faithful & content. Discovered 21 eggs under her. But, now that 3 have hatched, they have all died. I was afraid it was too hot for them, but I found her pecking the just hatched #3 today. It has since died. She has suddenly abandoned all of the rest of her clutch. I though she would go back to it, but has NO interest. Good broody, bad momma? How do you tell if the others are viable? One of them seems to rock occasionally, but the rest show no movement, but many feel heavy. Is there anyway to tell? What do I do if they are going to (possibly) hatch? I can bring them in & put them in an incubator. She has made it clear she wants nothing to do with the babies. Please help! Read somewhere about setting them in warm water to detect movement, but quite a few BYC'ers vetoed that idea. Any suggestions?? Thank you in advance for your advice!
