Leave unhatched eggs with hen?

Japetus

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Today four chicks have hatched under the hen, my first ever! There are however five more eggs that have not hatched yet and I am afraid this is due to another chicken that continued for several days to lay eggs at the same nest and the broody hen adopted them. So I don't have a clue when they are about to hatch.
Should I let them chicks, hen and eggs altogether? I can move these eggs under another broody hen I currently have, but I don't know if this could cause her to stop sitting on her own ones should the new ones hatch.
Advice?
 
Candle the remaining eggs to get an idea of how far along they developed. There are loads of candling pics on the forum and in the articles to help you, here's one guide, Egg Candling Pics: Progression Though Incubation. I'd leave her sitting on the eggs until she feels like getting up, which could be the day after the hatch, or up to 3 days later. If the remaining eggs are due to hatch soon, maybe letting them hatch under a surrogate broody is the way to go, then once they've hatched, wait until the first one goes to bed with her chicks and slip the new ones under her while she's sleepy. Hens don't count chicks ;) But first off, you need to get an idea of when those eggs are due to hatch.
 
Your hen will do what in her own mind is best for the 4 hatched chicks. This is why I have campaigned so hard in the past to discourage staggered hatches. Hens will normally wait about 4 days before leaving the nest with whatever chicks are able to follow and keep up with her. The last 5 even if they do hatch in time may be left to (as my grandma would say) sucking the hind teat.
Good luck or maybe better luck next time is more appropriate.
 
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