Hello, I just had a broody sit nicely on 12 eggs until hatch. The eggs were not shipped and came from mixed hens, each hen except one 2.5 years old or younger and each has been laying for at least six-to-eight weeks. They were under under a 4.5 year old rooster (so I know he's getting up there for breeding age).
Only 5 of the eggs hatched. One quit half way, and may be due to my partner picking it up and bringing it inside for half a day in our eating eggs pile. One was infertile. An eggtopsy revealed 5 other fully developed chicks, one even with an internal pip, all dead in shell. Two of these were from my oldest hen (4.5 years old) who lays lopsided eggs, so I could understand those quitting. And if they were infertile because of the rooster I could understand. But I'm not sure why so many late quitters? They look like they were doing really ell right up until it came time to pip internally, and then they just never did.
There were no obvious problems with the incubation. Wood nest box with hay/straw bedding, well off the ground and inside the coop. No cracks on the eggs. Sometimes a hen would lay an extra egg in the nest but it was always removed in the morning when broody went to get food.
Any thoughts? The remaining chicks seem very healthy and robust and mama hen seemed to do a great job, sitting all day every day except for a brief forray for food/water once daily for less than 20 minutes a day.
Is it just rooster age, hen age, or what?
Only 5 of the eggs hatched. One quit half way, and may be due to my partner picking it up and bringing it inside for half a day in our eating eggs pile. One was infertile. An eggtopsy revealed 5 other fully developed chicks, one even with an internal pip, all dead in shell. Two of these were from my oldest hen (4.5 years old) who lays lopsided eggs, so I could understand those quitting. And if they were infertile because of the rooster I could understand. But I'm not sure why so many late quitters? They look like they were doing really ell right up until it came time to pip internally, and then they just never did.
There were no obvious problems with the incubation. Wood nest box with hay/straw bedding, well off the ground and inside the coop. No cracks on the eggs. Sometimes a hen would lay an extra egg in the nest but it was always removed in the morning when broody went to get food.
Any thoughts? The remaining chicks seem very healthy and robust and mama hen seemed to do a great job, sitting all day every day except for a brief forray for food/water once daily for less than 20 minutes a day.
Is it just rooster age, hen age, or what?
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