Hen sitting on eggs from different clutches

[gasparino1]

We have a broody rhodie who has just hatched her first chick today. Yeah!! Except she has eleven other eggs she's been sitting on for roughly the same amount of time, however, the eggs were laid over a period of 4-5 days (not all at the same time). The chick is staying near mom and we've actually taken food and water up to her and dipped her beak in just as we did the chicks we brooded ourselves. My question is, should we remove the rest of the eggs if they don't hatch the next day? Will the mother continue to sit on those eggs until the last one hatches? Will the chicks that have hatched receive care if she continues to sit? Should I just remove the chicks to a brooder or should I remove the eggs and give them to another hen that is broody? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[AmberH]

Good question! I want to know too. My girl started with 14 eggs and then I added 3 more six days later. My second hen is laying her eggs in the same dog house my broody is in and the broody is taking the eggs. I haven't marked any of them so I don't know which is which. I don't want to remove eggs that are about to hatch and basically killed the unhatched chicks. I guess only time will tell. I'm just hoping for at least one healthy, happy chick. That's all.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

You might try removing the hatched chick to a brooder and candling the remaining eggs to make sure they are close to hatching.
If they are all different lengths of time, you are going to have to make some decisions as to either taking the chicks as they hatch or taking the eggs to incubate. I suspect it would be easier to take the chicks daily as they hatch, than to deal with a dozen different lockdown/humidity problems.
You really do have to candle in this instance.

 

[gasparino1]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately however, after candling the eggs and not being able to see anything through them, three of them still exploded. I'm going to post that question next, because I'm not sure what to look for when they're close to hatching.