hen trying to abandon eggs

[jh1013]

I have a young cochin bantam who went broody. I was surprised beacuse she had actually only been laying 2-3 weeks when she went broody. I gave her some fertilized eggs to set and she was doing very well, i would never see her off the nest. As time went on she would get off the nest for a few minutes then go back. On day 15 she was off the nest that morning i figured she would go back to the nest, when i got home that evening she wasnt on the nest, the eggs felt cool to the touch. We put her back on the nest where she stayed all evening and overnight. My grandma said to put her back on the nest and put a cage over the top & it will encourage (aka force) her to finish setting the eggs (only 5 days left) and let her off 1x a day to eat/drink.
Q: why would she just abandon them on day 15?
Q: what are the chances any will still hatch if she was off them all day lond, it was in the 60's temp wise.
Any advice would be helpful thanks

 

[NovaAman]

I did a big booboo once... I cleaned the coop. The hen got off the nest and ended up on a different nest. Her eggs were cool, and I put her back on HER eggs. She had to have been off them for a few hours. They all hatched.

Have you candled the eggs? AND do you have an incubator where you could finish the clutch? Some new mothers and some hens just up and quit. NO reason. BUT you know now that she may not be a good broody. It may be that the other hens are bugging her. If you can, do you have a way that you can section off her nest with food and water for her that keeps the other hens away?

 

[jh1013]

I dont have an incubator or any other way to hatch the eggs, since she was interested in hatching some i was going to just let her do it the old fashioned way. Then i got all excited that i was going to have chicks. Shes the only broody hen i have right now too. Shes in the laying boxes so the other hens do come and lay but i dont think she was being overly bothered. It was really warm for a long time, then it got down below freezing the night before she quit setting, so maybe thats why. I read somewhere if the eggs are not too far from hatching u can hatch them with a heating pad, not sure if i should try that or not. She will sit on them a while then get up. I did put a cage over her and her box where she has to sit on them and she did until she escaped. Shes back on there now. Not sure if should just make her set on them or try something else. Maybe they arent viable eggs & she knows it. I did candle them, 1 was too dark to see anything, the 2 others had large air pockets, not experienced at candling tho

 

[NovaAman]

I think, if she keeps going back on her own, you may just need to leave her alone. The more you mess with her, the more agitated she is going to get, and quit all together...

 

[jh1013]

The problem is shes not going back on her own. U can put her back on them and she will sit on them...for a while then shes off of them back in with the flock. Last night she got up on the roost with the others instead of on her nest. We put her on the nest and she stayed & was acting defensive of her nest. At daylight shes back off of them & couldnt care less about the eggs. I dont think she was on them for almost the entire day yesterday. If i didnt remind her they were there she wouldnt get back on them at all. Its strange behavior

 

[NovaAman]

No, she's done... You could try a heat pad... see what happens if they aren't dead yet.... Don't let her try again unless there is another broody you set eggs for at the same time. I have a hen who brooded for a few days, changed her mind, but the eggs were already developing, and it was a good thing that another hen was brooding, set the same time by a day, and put the eggs under her... SO, all worked out. BUT I will not let her set again unless I have another hen setting at the same time, just to be on the safe side.

 

[jh1013]

Thank u so much for ur help. I will post an update in a few days

 

[they'reHISchickens]

you have to remember that broodiness is a hormonal thing. Hormone levels can waver and that means her behavior can change. Whether or not she sets and the length she sets is not something you or she can control and the variety of setting is as varied as the number of hens!

 

[jh1013]

Yes she is done setting for now, the eggs arent going to hatch. They were a bunch of barnyards anyways so no financial loss. The hen was very thin and seemed weak to me, she had lost a substantial amount of weight. I think she sat on them as long as she could manage to. Maybe when the weathers warmer and shes/setting a smaller clutch we will have better luck : )

 

[NovaAman]

I always drop a treat to my girls while they are in a nest... I am weird. BUT they sure can lose a lot of weight while they are brooding. It's amazing.