Helping a broody, Need advice

[mopsee2000]

I have a broody hen that lays on her eggs all night. She also lays on two chicks. In the morning she leaves the eggs and spends the day with the babies. (they are about 2 and a half weeks old) She does not lay on the eggs during the day. No other hens go near the eggs as she will flip out. It bothers me that they are not lain on during the day so I have a heat lamp on them all day. She came in yesterday and got between the heat lamp and the eggs. When I discovered her, she was panting heavily. Like having an asthma attack. I turned the heat lamp off right away. I was going to candle an egg but when I tried to take it, she flipped out on me. I left her alone and she pulled the eggs in closer. What did this mean? Thursday is the 21st day for some of these eggs. What should I expect? My patience are wearing thin.

 

[farnorth]

When you put eggs under a broody hen they should all be set the same day, you might get away with setting some a day later.

Hens don't usually hatch eggs 2 1/2 weeks apart.

Once they have chicks hatch they may sit another day or two but after that they take care of those chicks and no longer try to hatch the remaining eggs.

Your only choice is most likely a different broody hen or an incubator. She isn't going to go back to sitting all day and a heat lamp isn't going to provide a reliable enough temp or humidity for them to hatch. Not saying it couldn't happen but I pretty much doubt it.

 

[Pyxis]

She's not trying to hatch them. As soon as the first chicks hatch and she gets off the nest with them, she's done with the eggs. She has abandoned them so she can feed and care for her chicks. She returns to the nest only because she thinks of it as a safe place at night to keep her chicks, and she growls at you when you try to candle because she is protecting her chicks. Your best bet is to take the eggs from her, candle and see if they are alive (they probably aren't anymore if she's leaving them all day) and putting them in an incubator if you still want to try to hatch them. Although you say the babies are two and a half weeks old. I would think that she was sitting on all the eggs before the first babies hatched. Chicken eggs only take three weeks to hatch, so if those remaining eggs haven't hatched chances are they are dead.

 

[HickoryHollow]

I have a broody hen that lays on her eggs all night. She also lays on two chicks. In the morning she leaves the eggs and spends the day with the babies. (they are about 2 and a half weeks old) She does not lay on the eggs during the day. No other hens go near the eggs as she will flip out. It bothers me that they are not lain on during the day so I have a heat lamp on them all day. She came in yesterday and got between the heat lamp and the eggs. When I discovered her, she was panting heavily. Like having an asthma attack. I turned the heat lamp off right away. I was going to candle an egg but when I tried to take it, she flipped out on me. I left her alone and she pulled the eggs in closer. What did this mean? Thursday is the 21st day for some of these eggs. What should I expect? My patience are wearing thin.

I wonder if you would take the chicks and put them in a brooder until the others hatch. Maybe she would stay on the eggs in the day if she didn't have them to worry about.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I wonder if you would take the chicks and put them in a brooder until the others hatch. Maybe she would stay on the eggs in the day if she didn't have them to worry about.

If the eggs have been receiving start-stop heat, it is very unlikely that they are still viable.

I would remove the eggs before they become a mess and let the hen tend to her chicks

 

[Pyxis]

I wonder if you would take the chicks and put them in a brooder until the others hatch. Maybe she would stay on the eggs in the day if she didn't have them to worry about.

This wouldn't work, unfortunately. They change broody 'modes' once they have chicks and hormones aren't telling them to sit on eggs anymore, they're telling her to take care of the little ones. So if you took the chicks, she'd be upset for a few days looking for them, then she'd go back to laying.

 

[farnorth]

I wonder if you would take the chicks and put them in a brooder until the others hatch. Maybe she would stay on the eggs in the day if she didn't have them to worry about.

This would have worked if the chicks were removed as they hatched. Now with chicks at 2 1/2 weeks old I doubt she is going to set on eggs again if they are removed.

 

[mopsee2000]

You can tell I am new to this. I had to look up brooder on Google. Maybe next time but it may be too late for these eggs. Tomorrow is day 21 so we will see.

 

[farnorth]

If the chicks are 2 1/2 weeks old 3 days before the other eggs are supposed to reach day 21.....that would mean the eggs expected to hatch tomorrow were put under the hen at about the same time the first two chicks were already hatching or about to hatch ???

 

[mopsee2000]

Tomorrow is day 21. I cannot wait to see if any hatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!