Help. My hen and her one egg.

Drummondchick

Chirping
Feb 27, 2018
12
17
59
Hi, I'm new to having chickens and try and read as much as possible on BYC but need some advice please.....I got one hen and one beautiful rooster and five young chicks, I was getting one egg every day from Catherine (the hen) and then one morning I went to collect my egg and Catherine wouldn't budge. I've left her, it's now day 22 or 23, I candled the egg and can't see any life in the egg, I know I must remove it but do I chase her out the coop and not let her nest for the day or remove the egg and just leave her. My chickens aren't free range, far too many predators. I'm in South Africa.
 
That's tough. It's going to take some time to break her of her "broody duty". The quickest way would probably be throwing some day olds under her. Not sure if you want more chickens. If you don't, she'll eventually figure out no chicks are coming and give up...eventually.
 
I’d leave it at least until the 25th day. This far along, it’d be hard to see anything moving inside the egg. I had some eggs that got chilled for over 5 hours when my broody left the nest when one of the chicks fell out and I couldn’t see any movement in the 4 eggs. I still put them in the incubator and gave them those extra days. 2 out of the 4 hatched.

I’d give it time. Sometimes they’ll know if the egg is bad or not and will decide for you.
 
No I didn't candle before. It has a largish air sack and I can't see any blood vessels or moving dark areas in the egg. I will get the egg and chase her off and close the coop door during the day.
 
I'd give her another couple of days. I've regularly had eggs hatch 2 full days early under a broody hen, others have had eggs hatch two or three days late. under a broody. That 21 day thing is more of a target than a law of nature. I don't always see movement when I candle, even in a pretty late egg. If it is dark throughout with a clear air cell give it a chance.

I break a broody hen by locking her in an elevated cage with a wire bottom so her bottom can cool off for 72 hours. Give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. If she is still broody after 72 hours lock her up again.

If you can find newly hatched chicks three days old or younger you can probably slip them under her at night and she will raise them. Older than that and they might not accept her or she might not accept them. It doesn't always work but it usually does.

Only having one laying hen when she goes broody creates some difficulties if you want her to hatch eggs. When one of mine goes broody I gather all the eggs I want her to hatch from the other hens, mark them so I know which belong, and start them all at the same time. Hopefully your chicks will be laying the next time so you have options.

Good luck!
 
I'd give her another couple of days. I've regularly had eggs hatch 2 full days early under a broody hen, others have had eggs hatch two or three days late. under a broody. That 21 day thing is more of a target than a law of nature. I don't always see movement when I candle, even in a pretty late egg. If it is dark throughout with a clear air cell give it a chance.

I break a broody hen by locking her in an elevated cage with a wire bottom so her bottom can cool off for 72 hours. Give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. If she is still broody after 72 hours lock her up again.

If you can find newly hatched chicks three days old or younger you can probably slip them under her at night and she will raise them. Older than that and they might not accept her or she might not accept them. It doesn't always work but it usually does.

Only having one laying hen when she goes broody creates some difficulties if you want her to hatch eggs. When one of mine goes broody I gather all the eggs I want her to hatch from the other hens, mark them so I know which belong, and start them all at the same time. Hopefully your chicks will be laying the next time so you have options.

Good luck!
Thanks Ridgerunner, thanks for all the info, I will leave her then for 2 more days, yes, the other chicks are getting to the laying stage so hopefully things will change.
Thanks, to everyone for your replies. Will keep you all posted😊
 

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