Help me with hatching these eggs!

[rozygrace]

My brooding hen (who is also my son's "pet") started brooding about 27 days ago. And 24 days ago I put six fertilized eggs (not guaranteed just from a friend who has a rooster) under her. She has been a very dedicated mother! Once she did sit on the wrong nest but only for a couple hours at most. After the eggs had been under her for 21 days they started to hatch. On day 22 I looked under her and found a dead chick and a broken egg with a weird deformed mess in it and a cracked up egg. Now the eggs have been under her for 24 days and still nothing from the three remaining eggs. The one that was cracked up smells rotten. I had figured I should give up on all of them, buy some chicks, and pop them under her so she could stop brooding and my son could stop waiting! But then I did the "float test" with the three remaining solid eggs and all had a nice "low float" which means they are fertile eggs with chicks right? So should I just keep waiting? Why would three eggs hatch before the others three? I thought they were all suppose to hatch at once? I am very anxious and all these dead chicks are breaking my heart! What could be going wrong here? Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[goodb]

When you did the float test, did the egg move on it's own? Watch this video for a demonstration;

Did you ever light "candle" the eggs during the 21 day incubation period? Looking inside will tell you a lot! See a demonstration here:

Anything over 21 days with a hen is almost a certain dud. Try those suggestions and anything else others offer.

Best of luck!

 

[rozygrace]

When you did the float test, did the egg move on it's own? Watch this video for a demonstration;

Did you ever light "candle" the eggs during the 21 day incubation period? Looking inside will tell you a lot! See a demonstration here:

Anything over 21 days with a hen is almost a certain dud. Try those suggestions and anything else others offer.

Best of luck!

I did the float test today, day 24. I did not see any obvious movement by my excited son was not allowing for a long completely still moment!
I never did the candle test early on, I just didn't know. I tried doing the candle test today but could not see anything.
So should I just give up on the remaining eggs?

 

[goodb]

Never give up until you have sufficient information to make an informed decision. I would, right now, do a float test in ~ 100 degree water. If there is no movement within 2 minutes I'd consider it a dud. Verify with a candle test.