Hen sitting in 16 filthy eggs

[ehoneybee]

I would still rather go with candling than weight. But if they smell it could be that they're also rotten or the smell is lingering. I would use this time to mark them too! =)

I know you keep saying fro mark them but she's been on them for about 23 days so would I let her sit in some that are way behind?

 

[hysop]

I know you keep saying fro mark them but she's been on them for about 23 days so would I let her sit in some that are way behind?

I would go off of what you see when you candle them.

Do you have any experience candling and know what you're looking for?

If she's been sitting on eggs for 23 days then most likely the eggs that are past day 21 are/were the rotten ones.

I would let her sit on any eggs she has that were not recently laid within the last day or two.

Are other hens still laying in her nest box?

 

[ehoneybee]

I would go off of what you see when you candle them.

Do you have any experience candling and know what you're looking for?

If she's been sitting on eggs for 23 days then most likely the eggs that are past day 21 are/were the rotten ones.

I would let her sit on any eggs she has that were not recently laid within the last day or two.

Are other hens still laying in her nest box?

Zero experience other than what I've seen online. DH and I just returned from candling 20 eggs with my Android
flashlight. 11 were definitely infertile or just laid or way behind in development so we took those out. 9 were solid enough that we figured might as well put them back under her and see what happens. I marked all those so I'll he able to see any new ones laid in her nest. I could be off on my dates as we all are to a degree when we let the hen do the incubating. I feel pretty good about it, though

 

[ehoneybee]

So it looks like the original broody who hatched 4 babies 6 weeks ago is now sitting on the eggs and the current broody is still broody in the empty nest next to her. This is the weirdest egg watch ever! Will they coparent?

 

[ehoneybee]

So it looks like the original broody who hatched 4 babies 6 weeks ago is now sitting on the eggs and the current broody is still broody in the empty nest next to her. This is the weirdest egg watch ever! Will they coparent?

Now they're in the same nest!

 

[Justso]

I'm sure someone with more experience will answer as well. If it were me I would protect the original broody from Interlopers. The last thing you need is somebody kicking her off the nest, then abandoning all.

 

[Justso]

Is there any way you can protect her and give her her own space with food and water? Maybe some fencing?

 

[ehoneybee]

Is there any way you can protect her and give her her own space with food and water? Maybe some fencing?

I've been moving the hens into their own coop when the eggs hatch. There's no way to fence off her area in the coop where she is now.

 

[ehoneybee]

I'm sure someone with more experience will answer as well. If it were me I would protect the original broody from Interlopers. The last thing you need is somebody kicking her off the nest, then abandoning all.

I was moving them off (another one was there, too, but just to lay an egg). This other hen actually wants to hatch the chicks. I'll keep moving her as the other one needs to see this through.

 

[hysop]

Are any of the 16 original still alive?

Happy you’re patient with her. A momma hen is so cute to look at with her chicks