Need advice on what to do with broody that hatched chicks!

[marinakirsten]

Hello! for some background info, I’ve got a sapphire gem hen that went broody and i gave 10 OEGB/Japanese white bantam eggs for her to sit on. They started hatching 48 hours ago on the dot, and of the 10 eggs only 4 hatched. I moved her off the nest this morning so I could check the remaining eggs (none of which are even pipping) and she could eat and drink with chicks, but the second I stopped messing with the eggs she ran back to sit on them and won’t get off them. does this likely mean that there are more to hatch? or not at all hahaha. I ask because I plan to move her and babies to a separate enclosed safe area to raise them for a few weeks, and don’t want to move her too early if there are other eggs that are going to hatch as she will abandon them if i move her :/

pic from our camera so you can enjoy itty bitty little babies <3

 

[nuthatched]

Have you candled the eggs at all?

 

[marinakirsten]

Have you candled the eggs at all?

i candled today for the first time but i have a horrible eye for candling and not a small enough flashlight to see very well. they’re all full term as well so most of the egg is dark when I candle. would there be a ton of obvious movement at this point?

 

[rural mouse]

Wait until she hops off the nest. The yolk sustains the chicks for the first 48-72 hours after hatch. She will take the hatched to food likely during that the above time period. Once she does that, she won't be returning to the nest. Instinct will tell her the 1st hatched babies need food/water.

 

[Coops Dad]

Tape a piece of thick cardboard with a dime sized hole cut in it over the lens of the flashlight.