Need Help! 18 day old hatching eggs. Hen died

[WVduckchick]

So what is the maximum days before I know the chicks are not alive in the shell?

Do you know for certain that no additional eggs were added under the hen during her sit time?
You can candle the eggs and look for movement, or you can go ahead and toss the eggs now. Generally 23 days is about maximum for chicken eggs, under normal circumstances, but I've seen here folks hatch some at 26 days, but I would be more concerned about weird developmental issues with that much delay.
I don't think anyone could blame you if you call it quits now.

Thank you. It has been quite an experience! I or these chicks could not have made it without the guys on this site helping me through it all.

I'm sure your thread will help others in the future also.

 

[Sheila 3434]

Final count: 4 healthy chicks! They are eating, drinking, and pooping! They are a quiet group; but that is okay.

I cannot thank each of you enough for your words of wisdom, knowledge, and encouragement through this ordeal. It was so comforting to read your posts daily as I learned all I needed to do to ensure these chicks made it. I had no idea what to do in this situation but I did what you said and it worked. My makeshift incubator consisted of a 2x2 square metal tub, hay, wet face towels surrounding the eggs (but not touching), a 5ft. step ladder with a heat lamp clamped on it, and a humidifier in a 5x11 bathroom. I regulated the temp by moving the ladder a spit forward or backward as needed and kept the towels moist and the humidifier running constantly for the past 5 days. (You might be a redneck if ........ ) I also have a small waterer and feeder in the tub so the chicks are warm, fed, and have room to play (they love the towels!). All in all, I think it turned out pretty good considering what we had to work with.

We will probably move them to the coop tonight. I have a corner where they are protected. It is a 4x4 space and I have kept all my other chicks there through the years. The other hens can see them; but not get to them. They will stay in there until they feather out then I open it up. It has worked in the past.

Again, thank you so much. I could not have made this journey without you.

 

[Sheila 3434]

Do you know for certain that no additional eggs were added under the hen during her sit time?
You can candle the eggs and look for movement, or you can go ahead and toss the eggs now. Generally 23 days is about maximum for chicken eggs, under normal circumstances, but I've seen here folks hatch some at 26 days, but I would be more concerned about weird developmental issues with that much delay.
I don't think anyone could blame you if you call it quits now.




I'm sure your thread will help others in the future also.

Yes, I am sure these were all the eggs she was sitting on. Once I determined she was really sitting and I was not just catching her in the nest, I marked her eggs with pencil. Yes, other hens laid eggs with her; but once she reached 8 eggs, I figured that was enough and began removing any unmarked eggs daily. She was happy and I made sure she did not have too many.

I gently opened the remaining eggs this morning to see if there was movement. All remaining eggs were a yellow liquid but no chick. My original candling showed 4 chicks and 4 duds; but I guess the liquid made it look darker in some so I thought there were two more. My flashlight is not the brightest so that might have contributed to my miscalculation.

 

[WVduckchick]

Very happy for you and the 4 chickies!

 

[as110]

Congratulations! I missed some of the events but I'm happy to see things worked out fine.

We are on day 19 and what a stress again! Fingers crossed.

 

[Sheila 3434]

Congratulations! I missed some of the events but I'm happy to see things worked out fine.

We are on day 19 and what a stress again! Fingers crossed.

Thank you! I hope your group hatches well also.

 

[Sheila 3434]

Thank you! I hope your group hatches well also.

Congratulations! I missed some of the events but I'm happy to see things worked out fine.

We are on day 19 and what a stress again! Fingers crossed.

How did your hatching turn out?

 

[as110]

How did your hatching turn out?

Mine was a flop. 5 eggs broke, 5 were empty unfertilized, and the remaining 5 rotted or died. I assume they were infected or compromised in some way from pooping on the eggs and then breaking of the rotten eggs all over the nest. Actually there was one fully grown dead chicken, the rest of the 4 eggs were sloshy. I threw out the eggs and cleaned the nest and she went back to sit on the empty box.
She is sitting again, last time I saw a few days ago she was sitting on 9 eggs. This is day 6. however she is free to go off the nest and I don’t force her back when she takes longer than I would like under normal brooding conditions. I let her decide how much she wants to dust bathe, eat and run around. I am not expecting any chicks from this exercise.
Thanks for asking.

 

[Sheila 3434]

Mine was a flop. 5 eggs broke, 5 were empty unfertilized, and the remaining 5 rotted or died. I assume they were infected or compromised in some way from pooping on the eggs and then breaking of the rotten eggs all over the nest. Actually there was one fully grown dead chicken, the rest of the 4 eggs were sloshy. I threw out the eggs and cleaned the nest and she went back to sit on the empty box.
She is sitting again, last time I saw a few days ago she was sitting on 9 eggs. This is day 6. however she is free to go off the nest and I don’t force her back when she takes longer than I would like under normal brooding conditions. I let her decide how much she wants to dust bathe, eat and run around. I am not expecting any chicks from this exercise.
Thanks for asking.

I am so sorry. It is so sad and disappointing when the eggs don’t develop.

 

[3cats&more]

My hen was killed today and she was sitting on 8 eggs that are 18 days old. Four are dark and I am sure they have chicks. The eggs were not warm but not necessarily cold when I found momma. She had been dead a while when I found her, so I have no idea how long since she had been on them ( but at least two hours, I would guess). I have moved the eggs inside and have a lamp on them to a temp of 100 degrees. What are the chances they will hatch? What can I do?

Thanks for any help. I hope I can save these chicks since they are so close to hatching.

A friend of mine had that happen. We moved them to an incubator not expecting much. She had buried some of the eggs before we came up with the idea. Dug them up, put in the incubator and most dark ones hatched. I would say add a wet sponge not touching the eggs for humidity since you are using a lamp. Don't open the cover to keep in humidity. Good luck and sorry about your hen.