Hen is sitting on 23 eggs and they're all alive...?

[magicpigeon]

Just candled my broody's eggs today. I know, 23 is WAY too many. I took out all the blood rings (one

) and the rest are all hunky dory, so to speak, in development. I am going to candle again in a few days, she rarely comes out to eat and drink. Aside from the heating difficulties, I'm worried about how she's going to sit on them all when they hatch! Has this been done before? She's a silkie, if it helps. And she (+ another hen- go figure), are pullets and this is their collective second clutch. The first time round they hatched them separately but I've got a feeling somebody stole someone else's eggs.

She's got her wings all spread out and getting all the eggs out was a problem as she's in a pot faced toward a sandstone wall (this keeps the dog out). Will they be slower to hatch or retarded, if so? A friend of mine once had a chicken that sat on 20. The other hens would just lay their eggs under her. Eventually she was up to 2 layers of eggs (no pun intended), like a commercial egg carton, and out of them all only 2 hatched. Apparently only 1 survived to adulthood

Agh! I suppose I'll just weed out the youngest ones at the next candling (3 days from now).

Thankyou in advance for any advice or ideas, I need them

 

[chicken-owner-31]

Do you have an incubator? I would be very tempted to take the youngest ones out and incubate them. (Granted, I apparantly am not very good at it yet!!)

I have a friend that has a couple silkies and showgirls in a pen. The hens will try to cover a gazillion eggs because she never removes them. I think the most they have ever hatched is 5.

I'm honestly a little worried about this when mine get older. Silkie and cochin eggs are too small to eat. (I assume anyway, still new to this!) So I worried that the hens I have going broody might try to sit on too many eggs. What does one do with the extras?

Sorry I'm not much help, but I will piggyback on your thread for this......interested to hear what others say.

 

[GreenGoddess]

Quote:
Not to worry... An egg is an egg is an egg.. You may have to use more of them because they are smaller but they are most definitely edible..

Goddess

 

[abhaya]

Quote:
Not to worry... An egg is an egg is an egg.. You may have to use more of them because they are smaller but they are most definitely edible..

Goddess

Silkie eggs are yummmmmy they are mostly yolk. make great little hard boiled eggs for snacks

 

[ms.cluckling]

how long has she been sitting on them?
Maybe you should move some to an incubator.
hang in there!