Hen is sitting on eggs but there is an empty shell

[Ivymasters]

my hen has been sitting on 23 eggs for awhile. i don't know exactly when she started sitting on the eggs so i am expecting them to hatch any day. yesterday i moved her to her own house so she can have privacy. today i saw an egg shell open with nothing in it....but there is no sign of a chic??? could the chic be back under her? did she eat it? the inside of the shell is clean, no signs of egg yolk or anything. i didn't move the shell because it is right next to her and i am trying to not disrupt her. i am not sure what happened to it? this is my first time having chic's. we unexpectedly got a rooster in a batch's of chics from the feed store.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi and welcome to BYC,

I think you may have guessed two possible outcomes...either she ate the contents of the empty shell, or a chick hatched. When my chicks hatch, the inside of the shell is usually somewhat pink-colored, because blood vessels were formed and the yolk etc. is absorbed at the end of incubation. If there was something wrong with the egg, the hen may have eaten the contents due to instinct so that any bacteria wouldn't infect the other eggs, especially if it was an egg that stopped developing and would never hatch.

I guess if you see a chick you will know it was not the hen eating the contents. Good luck with yoiur hatch.

 

[gimmie birdies]

That happened to me once time. I had a duck sitting on eggs outside sometimes the boy duck would sit on the eggs. a baby duck hatched but it got outside the fence and the mom duck wanted to keep sitting on her eggs but didn't care. It was alright.

 

[Ivymasters]

The other day she got up to eat and the empty shell was still there, no chic I am not sure what to do next?? She has been sitting on the eggs for at least 28 days and nothing is happening.

 

[ChicKat]

The other day she got up to eat and the empty shell was still there, no chic

I am not sure what to do next?? She has been sitting on the eggs for at least 28 days and nothing is happening.

Sounds to me like there won't be a hatch. If you want chicks....you could go to a farm store, Tractor Supply or other place feed store, pick up some chicks and sneak them under her at night. She would probably raise them, you would get chicks -- and not have the trouble of minding them in the brooder. If it were me, and I wanted chicks...I think I would take that approach. Good luck.

 

[Ivymasters]

I don't really want to hassle with chicks since I have enough chickens. The only reason I have been going along with it is cuz we didn't know we had a rooster till it was too late. The rooster has been relocated to another home now. So should I just take the eggs away and put her back with the other hens? Thanks!

 

[ChicKat]

In that case, I would say, yes take the eggs away. -- I think that they may only get rotten in time, and that they could attract predators to your area....