Need a different type of broody advice - Replacement clutch?

[themenagerie]

I have an almost one year old Wyandotte hen that's gone broody. I was thrilled, marked the eggs & started the countdown. The nest she chose happens to be the favorite nest for most of my 20 hens. I've been picking out the unmarked eggs several times a day, but the last two days some of the original marked eggs have disappeared & there are signs of breakage. I believe that while they're jockeying for laying rights in the nest, some of the eggs have broken and they've disposed of the evidence (eaten it). Here's my question... I'm down to only two eggs (out of 6) one week into the set. Should I start over with more eggs and separate her? Leave her be. and add more eggs and see what happens? Leave her be and hope that the remaining two don't get broken? Some other option I haven't thought of? I would like her to hatch out a few chicks, but would feel terrible if the broken egg thing keeps happening and we end up with a never ending brood, or if she loses interest before the replacement set of eggs can hatch. Any words of wisdom for me?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Beekissed]

Start over and separate her...always the best way to insure a successful brood. When chickens do this on their own in a more natural setting, they go off alone to do it and just come back one day with a set of chicks.

 

[themenagerie]

Thanks for your advice Beekissed. If I start over, which is what I would like to do, will she wait another three weeks? She was broody for a few days before I gave her a clutch to set.

 

[Beekissed]

Do you mean wait for 3 wks to put more eggs under her, or will she brood for 3 more weeks on eggs placed under her immediately?

If you mean the former, I'd say that it anyone's guess. If the latter, yes, she will brood them all until they hatch even though it takes three more weeks.

 

[donrae]

I'd do as Bee suggested, toss the partially brooded eggs, seperate her and start fresh today with new eggs. She'll stay on them long enough to hatch them, and then she'll be so proud of her babies!

 

[themenagerie]

Do you mean wait for 3 wks to put more eggs under her, or will she brood for 3 more weeks on eggs placed under her immediately?

If you mean the former, I'd say that it anyone's guess. If the latter, yes, she will brood them all until they hatch even though it takes three more weeks.

Yes...I mean the latter. I would feel cruel to let her brood for 3 weeks and then start over.
THanks again.

 

[themenagerie]

The move was a success! Two nights ago I put eight new eggs under her and moved her at dusk to a dog crate outside the main coop, but still within the enclosure. She was a bit ruffled at first but within five minutes or so she sat down on the nest and acted like she'd always been there. I've been opening the door several times a day to offer her a chance to get out, but she never goes and there's always the same bossy hen climbing in there with her, so I don't leave it open for long.
Thanks for all the advice!

 

[drohan]

Just for future reference, you can move a broody hen with the clutch she is currently sitting. I had to move one of my girls eggs multiple times due to her being run out of the nest boxes by the other hens. I also marked the eggs so I would know which ones where hers. I later moved her to a dog porter inside the coop, eggs and all. She did fine. Also, if you have the egg loss issue again, and you just move her with the remaining eggs, do not add to the clutch. (Does not apply to throwing out the old and starting over.) She will only sit on them for so long after the first chick hatches. It's hard to know how long that will be. One of my girls sat for an entire week and I had to force her to take her chick out of the porter. Another one barely made it 3 more days. She had her 3 day old chick out and about! The girl that I am setting now usually sits 3-4 days after she hatches out the first one. She chose to brood her chicks outside the coop, but inside the barn. We had to convince her to stay in the porter with her eggs. It only took about 5 minutes. Now she won't hardly come out. Makes me laugh.

 

[Beekissed]

Just for future reference, you can move a broody hen with the clutch she is currently sitting. I had to move one of my girls eggs multiple times due to her being run out of the nest boxes by the other hens. I also marked the eggs so I would know which ones where hers. I later moved her to a dog porter inside the coop, eggs and all. She did fine. Also, if you have the egg loss issue again, and you just move her with the remaining eggs, do not add to the clutch. (Does not apply to throwing out the old and starting over.) She will only sit on them for so long after the first chick hatches. It's hard to know how long that will be. One of my girls sat for an entire week and I had to force her to take her chick out of the porter. Another one barely made it 3 more days. She had her 3 day old chick out and about! The girl that I am setting now usually sits 3-4 days after she hatches out the first one. She chose to brood her chicks outside the coop, but inside the barn. We had to convince her to stay in the porter with her eggs. It only took about 5 minutes. Now she won't hardly come out. Makes me laugh.

This was why she was advised to start over~better to have a full clutch of eggs hatching all at once than 2 that hatch and others a week behind.


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[themenagerie]

That's exactly why I started over, because I have no way of knowing if those two are both going to hatch, and if that poor girl is going to sit for three weeks, I want her to have a high probability to hatch something, two eggs didn't seem enough. If I just added to the clutch, then she would stop brooding once something hatched.The new eggs, being a week behind, would have been added for naught. Night check shows all is well. it's amazing how low and flat those broodies can get. It reminds me of something you see on one of those nature channels, how the predator flattens themselves out and blends in with the scenery.