Hen can't hatch out eggs ( Serama ) won't go broody

[hobbyfarmer221]

I have a small serama hen that has gone broody 5 or 6 times. She's with a rooster of the same breed and lays eggs but just can't seem to hatch any out. She's tried and failed 5 times and is currently trying again. We have tried putting bigger chicken eggs (also fertile) but she still has had not luck. Thanks for any help!

 

[Majd]

Mmmm that's interesting.... you can candle the eggs for fertility insurance.... you can know if the problem was from the hen or eggs if any development occurs or not... more details needed... was there any development in any egg but chicks won't hatch? How long does she stay incubating the eggs? How many eggs does she sit on? Are their any other hens that disturbs her? If no development occurs in any egg at all... that mean that she's not a good broody... but I think another reason is what causing this...

 

[hobbyfarmer221]

It was just her with a roo and she still couldn't hatch any eggs, there was one incedent when after about 30 days we took her eggs from her (she was verging on hurting herself because of lack of food and water. We checked the insides of the eggs by cracking them and the first two were empty and the 3rd had a blob in it that looked somewhat like a chick. We were really mad at ourselves but out of the 30 eggs she's sat on during 5 different sessions this was the only one that ever had a chick in it. Also it was a bigger chicken egg, not hers. She seems very determined to hatch some out and only gets up for food and water( she doesn't roost) I hope this helps!

 

[Majd]

Mmmm.... maybe she's not providing enough warmth.... or too hot for the eggs... that's confusing. .. you should try hatch out sone of her eggs by an other broody or an incubator... and if they hatch that means there's something wrong with her... of none of them hatch.... it's the eggs that are infertile.... or something is wrong with them... and if she poops on the eggs that will make them bad... I had one that pooped on the whole eggs and none of them hatched.... she was a bad broody...

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

It sounds like a fertility issue with your Serama eggs. How old are they? From what I've read about Seramas, they're super hard to hatch since they're so small. As far as the LF eggs, I dunno. You could have just made a bad pick on those and they were infertile too.

What are her brooding habits like? Does she get up often or take long breaks? Anything weird? I have a hard time believing there's something physically wrong with her. I have a frazzled Cochin hen (she got a double dose of the frizzle gene, so stays semi bald most of the time) who sits on eggs and hatches chicks. She's broody right now, if her nekkid butt can incubate eggs, I don't see why your little Serama couldn't...

 

[Majd]

It sounds like a fertility issue with your Serama eggs. How old are they? From what I've read about Seramas, they're super hard to hatch since they're so small. As far as the LF eggs, I dunno. You could have just made a bad pick on those and they were infertile too.

What are her brooding habits like? Does she get up often or take long breaks? Anything weird? I have a hard time believing there's something physically wrong with her. I have a frazzled Cochin hen (she got a double dose of the frizzle gene, so stays semi bald most of the time) who sits on eggs and hatches chicks. She's broody right now, if her nekkid butt can incubate eggs, I don't see why your little Serama couldn't...

That what I was thinking of!! That hen really confused me.... why wouldn't she hatch eggs out??

 

[WildWorks]

My 6 month old Serama hen...Black Betty...laid 11 eggs for her first clutch
and I candled them after 7 days...four of her eggs were growing...the rest were not fertile...out of those four she hatched 3 healthy chicks and they are really cool!

I would let her try again with another rooster and maybe she will have a good clutch next time.

 

[hobbyfarmer221]

Ok, thanks for all of the help, I think I'm gonna try canceling her eggs!

 

[hobbyfarmer221]

Candeling*XD

 

[Majd]

Keep us posted. ..