Need help with orphan chicken eggs almost ready to hatch

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

 

[BonRae67]

Welcome! Sorry about your hen. Good luck with the eggs. Please keep is posted, would like to hear how you make out.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Welcome to BYC!!! There are loads of members on here…so if you have ANY questions…just ASK!!!

Hope you have loads of fun and all your answers answered here on BYC the BEST CHICKEN KEEPING FORUM on EARTH!!

 

[kitara5454]

Hello everyone,
Thank you very much for all your kind words and advice. I did make the incubator. the eggs are warm now. :+) but I am not sure if they will live. The chicks inside look about half developed. ie: have the egg is dark, so I'm praying it will work. My black beauty hen was my only black hen and was a great layer of large brown eggs and she was my pet as well. She would always "talk" to me..LOL I will miss her very much. I hope her eggs hatch and will be just like her! Does anyone know about how long I should wait until I know when to give up? Black beauty was sneeky and I had no idea she had a nest or when she started sitting on them. I don't think it was that long ago because she was in the coop at night and at feeding about two weeks ago is the last I remember. I was away for some of the time and was very busy these last few weeks and my daughter was in charge of caring for them... She is not very observant when it comes to my chickens as there are about 20 of them. :+) So she does nothing but feed and water them and close the coops up when it's getting dark. So I really don't know how long the eggs have been developing.:+(
Thank you all again for caring. :+)

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

It really is sad when one is lost I know just how you feel

Great to hear you have your incubator made and the eggs are now warm. The incubation period for chicken eggs is 21 days or there abouts. With your eggs cooling for a period this may delay the hatch day slightly. Here is a link with candling pics in that you could use to compare your eggs against to at least have an estimate of how far along in development they are https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=230

I hope you get some that hatch and they are just as lovely as their mum.

 

[roseyred]

Keep us updated! Would love to see the lil things hatch!!!

 

[Book Em Danno25]

 

[CrazyChookz]

Welcome to BYC and our flock! Enjoy and don't hesitate to ask if you have queries. So sorry about your loss! I know nothing about incubating but wish you luck.

 

[BonRae67]

How are you making out with your eggs?

 

[kitara5454]

Hello and thank you for your kind concern. Some of the eggs seem to be bigger inside but it may just be my hopeful thinking. :+) They have been about half full in the egg when I first candled them
and now they look to be about 3/4 full in the egg. So I am hopeful for at least some of them. I'm just not sure as to how long the hen was sitting on them, in order for me to be able to determine their "age" for a hatching time. I will give it another week or so to see if any hatch. Or do you suggest by the candling of them and their growth, that I should give it more time? I see the baby chicks in the egg and if they are not going to hatch, I feel really bad to just toss them.... like I'm killing them.... :+(
Thank you