Hens kicking my fertile egg out of nest

[sawilliams]

I'll admit my coop set up is not ideal for a broody hen. But thing is she sat over a month and stayed broody after we moved so i finally had to get her some fertile eggs. Becuase of the move I resorted to 2 small coop/run set ups untill I could buy and build a big coop.

My issue, someone keeps knocking the egg out of the nest. I only got 2 fertile eggs from a freind/neighbor (I have no rooster yet). One got broken at about day 3 the other is now 2 weeks and has been knocked out 4 different times as of today.

It's very hot during the day, and maybe that's what has saved my chick so far, but from what i can see candling I do think it's behind in development (but then again it is my first hatch). I did see and confirm movement in the egg when i candled it last night. But I'm starting to get worried that the hens will break my egg before it's ready. I'm working on the big coop but unfortunately we had to wait for materials and now my husband has to work tomorrow.

Will my egg hopefully be ok I'm starting to panic. I don't want to have to candle the egg every night but fortunately i have slightly to nice of a mama hen that will let me take her egg when ever I need. Btw day time temps here are up 90s to low 100s and will be 100+this weekend

 

[Pyxis]

Block off the nesting box so that no one else can get in that one. Open it once a day to let the broody out to eat, drink, poop, and stretch her legs, and then block it off again once she's back on the nest.

 

[sawilliams]

It won't hurt her with the temps getting so high? I think they are calling for 106. Unfortunately we got rid of our scrap wood before we moved but maybe I can make something out of cardboard for now... I'm going to move the others into the new coop once its up, and let her stay in the pen to finish her hatch.

I did check the egg again tonight air sac looks like it might be on the big side, there is almost no clear area left besides the air sac, barely got a good angle but saw a ton of movement in there...

I'll see if i can come up with something to protect her and the egg. She pecked me tonight, doesn't happen much and very light, almost more of an open beck poke then a bite

 

[Pork Pie]

Just an observation, but leaving a broody hen for a month before giving her eggs can cause her considerable stress. If possible, try to get fertile eggs sooner, or break her broodiness.

 

[sawilliams]

Just an observation, but leaving a broody hen for a month before giving her eggs can cause her considerable stress. If possible, try to get fertile eggs sooner, or break her broodiness.

I couldn't, I wanted to but we were in the middle of selling our house. If things had gone as planned i would have been moving her 2-3 days shy of hatching. I would have tried to break her, but again with the heat and the move and the packing I couldn't devote that time to make sure she would stay healthy. I decided the safest for her was to let her sit until we moved knowing she would probably abandon the idea with the stress of the move (only a 30 minute drive). She didn't and even a week later she was still trying to sit, so now with the limited space becuase we don't yet have a setup even close to what we had at the old house I don't have a way to break her broody. So i asked my friend if she had any eggs, it would help settle the mama and i'd get chicks. I really don't want to have to break broody, I've done it multiple times with 2 girls that would try to sit 3-4 times each through out the summer, I hate doing it. I would rather let a hen sit on just 1 or 2 eggs then fight breaking them. But it was just the situation this time. Next time we have a broody there will be fertile eggs, I'm getting my first rooster soon as the big coop is up. If i could have done it different i would have pushed to gotten eggs when she first got broody and just prayed for the best, as it turned out we didn't move untill a week after hatch would have been, but like i Saud we could have been moving just before. There were a lot of hard decisions and I do think i made the best choice for her given the circumstances

 

[Pork Pie]

I couldn't, I wanted to but we were in the middle of selling our house. If things had gone as planned i would have been moving her 2-3 days shy of hatching. I would have tried to break her, but again with the heat and the move and the packing I couldn't devote that time to make sure she would stay healthy. I decided the safest for her was to let her sit until we moved knowing she would probably abandon the idea with the stress of the move (only a 30 minute drive). She didn't and even a week later she was still trying to sit, so now with the limited space becuase we don't yet have a setup even close to what we had at the old house I don't have a way to break her broody. So i asked my friend if she had any eggs, it would help settle the mama and i'd get chicks. I really don't want to have to break broody, I've done it multiple times with 2 girls that would try to sit 3-4 times each through out the summer, I hate doing it. I would rather let a hen sit on just 1 or 2 eggs then fight breaking them. But it was just the situation this time. Next time we have a broody there will be fertile eggs, I'm getting my first rooster soon as the big coop is up. If i could have done it different i would have pushed to gotten eggs when she first got broody and just prayed for the best, as it turned out we didn't move untill a week after hatch would have been, but like i Saud we could have been moving just before. There were a lot of hard decisions and I do think i made the best choice for her given the circumstances

I understand. My comment was not intended as a criticism , sorry if it came across that way

 

[sawilliams]

I understand. My comment was not intended as a criticism , sorry if it came across that way

It did, but not in a what kind of jerk is this sort of way... more in a maybe I didn't emphasize the whole moving thing well enough way...

 

[Pork Pie]

It did, but not in a what kind of jerk is this sort of way... more in a maybe I didn't emphasize the whole moving thing well enough way...

Profuse apologies, in that case.

 

[sawilliams]

Profuse apologies, in that case.

No worries and no apologies please, I probably just read into it to much. You know being all stressed that my one and only fertile egg might die or get killed and my broody won't give up and move on. And I'll have to break her or find yet another set of eggs for a round 3 so to speak

 

[aart]

Any chance of finding some day old chicks for her?