Is Hen Incubating Eggs?

[GooseMoyo]

I'd say leave her alone until the chicks hatch. We have had many of our hens hatch chicks on their own. The only thing I would do is just make sure the hens are getting food and water.

After the chicks hatch I would isolate them.

We have a small coop that we like to keep our chicks in that has a coop with a little run. When the chicks hatch and are isolated make sure to have food, and water.

Sorry, I meant how long before removing eggs that aren’t hatching?

 

[GooseMoyo]

It is tricky. If the hatched chick or chicks gets rambunctious, and leave the nest, she may follow them. Leaving the rest.

I always figured that they were duds. But last year, I got a chick to hatch, she left the nest, and there were two eggs left. I was just going to toss them, they had no pipping. But as I lifted them up to give a toss, I heard a peep. So as she was on the floor of the coop, with her chick taking a nap, I just offered them to her, she tucked them under, and the next day I had TWO more chicks.

So I don't lock them away, mine are free to leave when they want, and I go with that. This year - 2 hatched, I did the same thing...got nothing more.

If you have her confined - wait 24 hours. No more than that.

Mrs K

Thanks! I built a little box and put it over where she got broody on the eggs. So far 3 have hatched (1 died) and she is eating and drinking. I’ll just leave them be for a while. Hoping she’s goes back to sit on the rest.

 

[Mrs. K]

You can hope, but don't do anything else. It may be that is all you get. I can't really tell in the second picture, is she still setting, or is she out and about taking care of the live chick?

 

[GooseMoyo]

You can hope, but don't do anything else. It may be that is all you get. I can't really tell in the second picture, is she still setting, or is she out and about taking care of the live chick?

She was out in the pic. She looked like she was really struggling (its ~100 degrees) so we got her to drink some water and she was hanging with the two hatched chicks. After she got a good drink she went back to sitting on the rest... its been ~20 minutes and it looks like she's still sitting.

Understood on the odds. This was really just a "science experiment". We found her sitting on a dozen eggs and figured we'd see what happens. My kids were ecstatic when we walked passed and heard peeping. First time having a hen incubate.

 

[Mrs. K]

It is always momentarily sad, when you don't get a 100% hatch, but so fun to watch them with the ones that make it. I too hatched out just a few weeks ago, and there is something just magical about that peeping and then when a pair of beady eyes peak out - too darling.

You might get a couple more, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let them out into the flock. It is the easiest way of raising chicks. Mine are maybe 12 days old. Today I was watching them, and there the chicks were drinking right beside a layer, not her mother and there was no problem at all.

Mrs K

 

[MROO]

She was out in the pic. She looked like she was really struggling (its ~100 degrees) so we got her to drink some water and she was hanging with the two hatched chicks. After she got a good drink she went back to sitting on the rest... its been ~20 minutes and it looks like she's still sitting.

Understood on the odds. This was really just a "science experiment". We found her sitting on a dozen eggs and figured we'd see what happens. My kids were ecstatic when we walked passed and heard peeping. First time having a hen incubate.

Our last hatch was an experiment gone crazy, too!

I had four young hens playing Musical Nests on a HUGE pile of eggs hidden in a dark corner. By the time I realized what was going on, we already had a widely staggered range of development. I know I should have tossed the lot, but once I see an eye-spot, I just can't! Instead, I isolated the entire batch of 30+ eggs and four Mama wannabes into an oversized rabbit hutch and waited ...

By the time the eggs started hatching, one of the hens had given up. I moved her and another back to the main coop. The two remaining hens continued to set, hatching five babies. One was crushed, another never thrived. One egg was partially zipped, but dead in the shell - or so I thought. The chick never moved when I jiggled it's little beak, so I started dissecting the shell. When that "dead" chick gasped & peeped, I nearly dropped it! S/he finished hatching tucked into my ... ummm ... unmentionables. I can assure you that it's very difficult to cook, wash dishes or do virtually anything else productive when your brassiere is peeping!

I gave the four surviving hatchlings, including little BooBee, to one of the two setters and left on the rest under the last broody. She lasted two more days before kicking the nest apart and sulking at me.

There was a lot of life left in those scattered eggs and a few ready to hatch. I took the 18 egglets to my sister, who teaches Ag Science at a local high school. Four candled as "dead" the rest went into the classroom incubator. The students dissected the four dead ones right there while I was in the classroom. They studied charts to classify ages (all different, from a dud to almost fully developed) then learned how to preserve the embryos for the other classes to study. Those kids were thrilled ... and so was I!

Ten more chicks popped out of those last fourteen eggs They started the day after I left them at school and continued over the next ten days. Talk about a staggered hatch! I'll never give up on broody eggs again. I'll also keep an eye on that particular corner of the coop!