my broody's eggs are not viable

[Lisa202]

I have a 20 week old bantam EE that has been brooding for 2 weeks today. I let her keep 2 eggs 12 days ago since I couldn't seem to get her off the nest.

Well, I candled them today and am pretty sure one never took and the other was a quitter. Should I give her a couple new eggs and start fresh or just take these away (I don't want them to break or explode) and see if she quits being broody?

Also, my roo is a brahma and I have 3 brahmas, a cochin and 3 EE pullets. What would hatch if I don't let her brood a brahma egg?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Is your roo in with all the girls you listed? If so, and your broody was mine - I would give her an egg from each of the girlies, cause I am not picky. But I love me a broody and will give them every chance to become a mom.


Because she is going to set for a bit longer time - if you give her new eggs, be sure that she eats well (good food) and has easy access to water.

 

[Lisa202]

I just candled the eggs again b/c I visited some egg candling posts on here and I thought that maybe I was doing it wrong. And I was!...there is definitely one egg that has a moving blob! The other one has nothing. So now I wait, with fingers crossed, for her to finish.

I'm very excited!!!

I read that I should separate her and the new hatching chicks (in my case, 1 chick) so that the others don't kill the baby. Is that true? I would have thought that they would accept the chick since it hatched with them? In nature it works that way, but then they probably hatch many at a time so that a couple killed doesn't make a big difference. I don't have that luxury, so in anticipation, I just ordered a small coop (holds 2 to 3 chickens) so that if I do have to separate them, they can stay in this small coop right next to the run so that they will be seen by all chickens every day and hopefully I don't have any re-introducing problems. What do you all think of this plan?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

That sounds like a great plan.


Yes a chicken will attack and eat (sometimes too) a chick that they did not hatch. What I do for my broodies is have a little dog kennel that I can put them in. At night they go into the coop, in their kennel and during the day out in the broody run.


A chick - I am so excited for you