Hen's rejected egg hatching...

[cadeschicks]

We've had a broody hen succesfully hatch 7 biddies this week. There were a few obvious duds that we pulled out yesterday and a couple more she would'nt give up yet. Today she pushed both out of the nest. One candled as dud the other was completely opaque. I felt like it might be good so i put it back in the nest. An hour later it was on the ground again.

I know usually the hen knows best, but i decided to bring the egg in and set it up in a makeshift incubator. Now it's chirping and has pipped.

Do you think I should put it back in the nest a third time? I don't want to risk het rejecting it again in the final stages of hatching. Has anyone had a hen inexplicably reject a good egg?

My other thought is to smuggle it back in after hatching. Had anyone tried doing this before? I really don't want to brood one chick...

 

[Rammy]

Id wait til it hatches, then sneak it under her real late at night when she is sleeping after its nice and dry.

 

[Alaskan]

We've had a broody hen succesfully hatch 7 biddies this week. There were a few obvious duds that we pulled out yesterday and a couple more she would'nt give up yet. Today she pushed both out of the nest. One candled as dud the other was completely opaque. I felt like it might be good so i put it back in the nest. An hour later it was on the ground again.

I know usually the hen knows best, but i decided to bring the egg in and set it up in a makeshift incubator. Now it's chirping and has pipped.

Do you think I should put it back in the nest a third time? I don't want to risk het rejecting it again in the final stages of hatching. Has anyone had a hen inexplicably reject a good egg?

My other thought is to smuggle it back in after hatching. Had anyone tried doing this before? I really don't want to brood one chick...

Since the others have hatched... they will be more active than the just hatching one....

So what I have done in the past is hatch the late one in the house. Let it pep up nicely (so 1 or 2 days after hatching... until it can run well) then sneak it under mom.

Usually this works perfectly, because chickens cant count.

However, they can see color differences!!! So.... if this late chick is a totally different color or pattern from the rest... she might not take it, (and might try to kill it) you will have to watch closely.

 

[cadeschicks]

With my luck this will be the only one that comes out yellow since all the others are gray.

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah... that would suck.

it hatches healthy and matches the rest!

 

[cadeschicks]

She's gray like the others! Hopefully she can be reintroduced to her family soon.

 

[Alaskan]

Oh good!

 

[Kris5902]

“Chickens can’t count”
Neither can sheep... cows on the other hand can tell their babies apart, and no way is a niece or nephew getting a sip from the wrong udder!

 

[Cindycon]

“Chickens can’t count”
Neither can sheep... cows on the other hand can tell their babies apart, and no way is a niece or nephew getting a sip from the wrong udder!

I didn’t know that.

 

[ChickenChick2021]

Wonder did it work?