Is my almost hen broody? When will the eggs hatch?

[fluffycrow]

Not sure if there's anything in there

 

[TwoCrows]

This looks like bacteria growing, what day is this egg on?

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think the last two are duds unfortunately. One definitely is for sure and pretty sure on the second one.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

View attachment 3729046
This looks like bacteria growing, what day is this egg on?

Oh I was pretty sure that was the chick but it didn’t move. Do you think it died? It think it’s on day 24 should I remove the dead eggs?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Should I take out the two dud eggs and candle the third to see to make sure it is alive?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

The egg that I thought was alive a candles again it moved so defiantly one alive! Why is it taking so long?

 

[NatJ]

Should I take out the two dud eggs and candle the third to see to make sure it is alive?

That sounds like a good plan.

I would take the dud eggs outside, and crack each one open to see what is really inside. That will probably help you in future: it looks like this when candled, and like this when opened. (Do it outside in case they stink!)

The egg that I thought was alive a candles again it moved so defiantly one alive! Why is it taking so long?

Could that egg have been added to the nest later, so it is actually younger? Otherwise, I don't know why it is taking so long. If it is really on day 24, I would worry that something is wrong, and it might never be able to hatch a healthy chick. But if it is just younger, then it needs to stay in the egg until it is ready to hatch.

Putting it under the other broody for now is probably a reasonable thing to try, so Amelia can get on with taking care of Enola.

Next time you candle it, maybe take a picture and post it on here. Or a video (you'd have to post that somewhere else like youtube and put a link on this forum, so that's a bit more complicated.) Maybe someone can spot what is going on. Some kinds of "moving" can happen even with a dead chick because of how you move the egg while candling, but some other kinds of motion definitely do mean a live chick.

You might also try sniffing that egg to see if it stinks. (Stinking usually means rotting, and rotten eggs typically do not go on to hatch healthy chicks.)

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I candles the cracked egg again. Weird it’s just black I can’t see like anything. I candles the dud egg again too and I just can’t tell the picture makes it too light to see anything. I’m worried about taking them out in case it is a chick.

Dud egg it does have an air sack

Cracked egg

 

[Farmgirl283420]

That sounds like a good plan.

I would take the dud eggs outside, and crack each one open to see what is really inside. That will probably help you in future: it looks like this when candled, and like this when opened. (Do it outside in case they stink!)


Could that egg have been added to the nest later, so it is actually younger? Otherwise, I don't know why it is taking so long. If it is really on day 24, I would worry that something is wrong, and it might never be able to hatch a healthy chick. But if it is just younger, then it needs to stay in the egg until it is ready to hatch.

Putting it under the other broody for now is probably a reasonable thing to try, so Amelia can get on with taking care of Enola.

Next time you candle it, maybe take a picture and post it on here. Or a video (you'd have to post that somewhere else like youtube and put a link on this forum, so that's a bit more complicated.) Maybe someone can spot what is going on. Some kinds of "moving" can happen even with a dead chick because of how you move the egg while candling, but some other kinds of motion definitely do mean a live chick.

You might also try sniffing that egg to see if it stinks. (Stinking usually means rotting, and rotten eggs typically do not go on to hatch healthy chicks.)

Problem is I’m not sure if she is actually broody. The egg could be younger because Amelia kept switching around it is very possible.

 

[NatJ]

Problem is I’m not sure if she is actually broody. The egg could be younger because Amelia kept switching around it is very possible.

Did you keep track of how many eggs Amelia had at what point? That might help figure out what is going on with some of the eggs.

As regards the other pullet: did she spend last night on the nest, and is she there now? If yes, and if Amelia wants to be done sitting, then the live egg might be safer under that other pullet. If the other pullet slept on the roost last night (not in the nest) and is not on the nest now, then the egg might need to keep taking its chances with Amelia.

I candles the cracked egg again. Weird it’s just black I can’t see like anything. I candles the dud egg again too and I just can’t tell the picture makes it too light to see anything. I’m worried about taking them out in case it is a chick.View attachment 3729060Dud egg it does have an air sackView attachment 3729061View attachment 3729062Cracked egg

Dud egg with an air sack: no chick, take it outside and crack it open to verify that. There is no way an egg looks like that with a chick almost ready to hatch, but seeing for yourself is very helpful.

Cracked egg: an egg that is almost ready to hatch should have a large dark area, plus an air cell. It should not smell rotten. Give it a sniff and see if that tells anything useful. I am not positive what I am seeing in the photos of it, but a crack is a good way for bacteria to get in. So the dark area could be a chick (live or dead), or it could be a bunch of bacteria. I don't really know what to say about that one. There is a good chance I would crack it open too, making the assumption that it does not have a live chick, but I can't be as sure over the internet as I might be in person. If you had an incubator, I might say to leave it in there a bit longer and see, but it's much harder when you've got a broody who is done and no other good choices.