I didn't know she was broody

[alialey]

My hen, Ana, went broody while I was on vacation. When I got back I tracked down the guinea nest and started collecting the chicken eggs out of it. Well last night I confirmed my suspicion of a broody when she was sitting on it at dark. But the damage is done and she only has two chicken eggs left. The guinea eggs are not viable and I checked the eggs I had it the house. One was gross with green chunks so I thought them all dead plus I thought I saw the red lines of death when I candled them so I cracked them to check the embryo growth and they are about 10 - 12 days by my best guess.

Can I add more eggs under her? Once I take the guinea eggs out she will only have two. Can I take them out for 'lock down' and use my bator, then introduce the chicks when the rest hatch? Should I just give her a full new batch of eggs? She is in the middle of the lawn/pasture and I think something has been stealing eggs from her because I see shells close to the trees. So tonight I am going to try and move her into a dog crate and leave it in the same location.

Thank you for any advice and help.

 

[lazy gardener]

This situation sounds like a recipe for disaster. I'm surprised she hasn't been killed yet. I'm guessing she's being visited by a skunk or most likely by a raccoon. It's only a matter of time before the predator moves on from eating balut to eating chicken. And she'll not be well protected out in the open like that, even in a dog crate. A raccoon will reach right through the bars of the crate, snag the chicken, pull her to the bars, and eat her right through the bars. She's been sitting for almost 2 weeks. To add an other 3 weeks to that time would be very hard on her. My suggestion would be to move her and nest into a safe location, and let her continue to sit on the 2 eggs she has left. If she has only one chick hatch, that should be enough to satisfy her mothering instinct, so she can move past her broodiness, and get back to earning her keep in the nest box. Perhaps if she hatches either of these eggs, you could get her a few day old chicks to go with them. Or you could sneak a few day old chicks under her, even if her eggs don't hatch. But, IMO it wouldn't work to take these eggs, let her sit an other batch for 3 weeks, and then give her back the older chicks. She'd consider them to be intruders and beat them up.

 

[alialey]

I put her in the dog crate and then inside the covered kennel where I currently have my guinea keets. It will have to do for now. She is actually more valuable to me as a broody then an egg layer.