- Aug 26, 2018
- 3
- 2
- 51
Hello, I have a question regarding egg incubation. I had a broody hen that sat on 4 eggs. Two of them I was aware of and counting the days. Approximately two weeks in to it I had noticed another egg in the nesting box which unfortunately I did not mark and then another one about 3 days later making the total of 4 eggs. 2 hatch just fine and was amazing to see!! In the meantime I had ordered 6 chicks from a hatchery and when they arrived on Monday she took them all in as if they hatched under her. The other two eggs remained and she was still laying on them until I came in yesterday to find that one had been stepped on and cracked open. Very sad.... I immediately went and bought a still air incubator. Probably not the best, but it was only for 1 egg and I probably will never use it again. Nevertheless I placed the last egg in. Temperature is at 99.5 and humidity is at 62-64. I did the warm water test and the egg sunk to the bottom. Prior to me placing the egg in the incubator, she was on and off of them tending to the other chicks for a couple hours at a time. The weather here has been very warm and I have read that chicks still hatch even if the mother is off for a few hours? I didn't want to chance the same thing happening as the other egg. Does anyone have any feedback or suggestions on the incubation period or the chances of this egg hatching after taking it from the mother? I have been turning the egg about 5 to 6 times a day as suggested due to the fact that we are probably nearing the end of the 21 day cycle.
