Hens laying eggs but none hatching

[Dans Magoo]

Advise appreciated… i have laying hens and a rooster. Some hens laying eggs but none sitting on them to hatch. Is there something I should do? They have brooding hutches where some lay the eggs but none of the hens interested in brooding. Any suggestions??

 

[LizGio]

What breed are they?

 

[TheOddOneOut]

You can't make them go broody.
What breed and how old?

 

[Dans Magoo]

You can't make them go broody.
What breed and how old?

Unsure of breed and they range in age. Some are over 8 months and some a bit younger. Some have definitely not matured enough to lay but some are laying. Very new to this so sorry if I sound a bit ignorant

 

[KHoward]

Hi!
Sometimes the best way is to collect some eggs and put them into an incubator. After about 4 days you should be able to put a flashlight against the egg (candling) and see spider veins. This would mean a fertile egg. No veins would mean not fertile.

But OddOne is right, you can't make them set.

 

[Dans Magoo]

Hi!
Sometimes the best way is to collect some eggs and put them into an incubator. After about 4 days you should be able to put a flashlight against the egg (candling) and see spider veins. This would mean a fertile egg. No veins would mean not fertile.

But OddOne is right, you can't make them set.

I don’t have an incubator… we 10 hours from the shops and on solar power. Was hoping to get the hens to incubate the eggs naturally.

 

[KHoward]

Gotcha. Then you'll have to let nature happen. That said, from your photo you seem to have many red sexlinks which are not known to be broody. You may want to get some hens from a breed that is known for being "very broody" for this purpose.
Where are you located?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

In time, it may happen. Even then, no guarantees.

None of my birds brooded more than a couple days before abandoning the nests their first 12 months of life. In their second year, a couple hens worked together to cover a nest (old hay bale, actually) - the flock left 50+ eggs in that nest, none hatched. Its now starting the third year for some of my birds (culling long overdue, hatching replacements in a [used to be] $80 incubator), and I have a Hoover Hatchery "Rainbow" (looks like a NH Buff Orp mix, plus who knows what else) sitting a sheltered nest again. Second time this season. The first had about 20 eggs - middle of the third week, she abandoned the whole thing. The second and current has about a dozen eggs - she pushed four out yesterday.

Not to discourage you, just to moderate expectations.

Honestly, none of my birds have every successfully hatched a clutch of eggs - but obviously nature manages. Strongly suspect my clay soils have something to do with it - they seem remarkably adept at contaminating eggs.

If, when they do go broody, you can get them to make a nest in an area you can isolate from environmental factors, your chances will be better.

 

[KHoward]

In time, it may happen. Even then, no guarantees.

None of my birds brooded more than a couple days before abandoning the nests their first 12 months of life. In their second year, a couple hens worked together to cover a nest (old hay bale, actually) - the flock left 50+ eggs in that nest, none hatched. Its now starting the third year for some of my birds (culling long overdue, hatching replacements in a [used to be] $80 incubator), and I have a Hoover Hatchery "Rainbow" (looks like a NH Buff Orp mix, plus who knows what else) sitting a sheltered nest again. Second time this season. The first had about 20 eggs - middle of the third week, she abandoned the whole thing. The second and current has about a dozen eggs - she pushed four out yesterday.

Not to discourage you, just to moderate expectations.

Honestly, none of my birds have every successfully hatched a clutch of eggs - but obviously nature manages. Strongly suspect my clay soils have something to do with it - they seem remarkably adept at contaminating eggs.

If, when they do go broody, you can get them to make a nest in an area you can isolate from environmental factors, your chances will be better.

Agree with this - I have had too many hens abandon their nests a few weeks in. I am able to have an incubator so I rely on that and not the hens.
I also had a Marans that was broody almost all year-round (which had its own frustrations).

 

[Dans Magoo]

Gotcha. Then you'll have to let nature happen. That said, from your photo you seem to have many red sexlinks which are not known to be broody. You may want to get some hens from a breed that is known for being "very broody" for this purpose.
Where are you located?

Oooh interesting. We live in western Zambia. Any particular breeds know to brood?