How long to wait?

[ixnay]

My broody hen started a clutch (eggs collected from the various hens) on 8/25. I expected chicks on 9/15, but when I got home from a trip on 9/14, two had hatched already! Now I have 5 chicks, and 5 unhatched eggs - by my count, it is day 23. The chicks have food and water, and seem to be fine.

So - how long should I wait before removing the unhatched eggs as "duds"? Of course I did nothing so sensible as marking eggs - I don't have a candler, just held up a few of the eggs to a bright light (with my hand to block off an area). I would hate to kill any by opening prematurely.

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Has the hen left the nest yet? My hens always let me know when they are done by leaving their nests. If not, give it a few days more and if you can get a bright flashlight, candle them to see if there is anything in the eggs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Gumpsgirl. Mama should tell you. This link shows how to make a candler. A toilet paper roll with a flashlight duct-taped under it can work. Just be sure to secure whatever you use so it is steady.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-candling.html

 

[chickencrazymom]

My hen hatched out 4 chicks , and then decided to leave the nest, there were about a doxen eggs left ! I borrowed an incubator and three more hatched out !I feel good that I was able to give these chicks a chance at life ! They are 13 wks. old now, and I have 2 hens and one rooster !

 

[ixnay]

Thanks for all the advice. I did manage to get a pretty good look at each egg, and none of them looked like something about to hatch. So, I opened them up, 4 had clearly failed to develop beyond a few days, the 5th actually looked like a pretty normal chick, but only about halfway along - nice red blood vessels, and the usual parts, etc. It may be that one of the other hens snuck an egg in and I didn't catch on in time - I didn't isolate momma bird. It gets hard to count eggs under a broody hen!

So: now I have a better idea of what I'm looking at, even with my makeshift candling. Resolved for the next brood: make a candler, mark the eggs. This is all practice for if I decide to get involved in breeding - the current bunch are the offspring of an EE roo and various laying breeds - pretty cute, all the chicks are dark (black/brown/mottled).

Again, thanks.