Got a bit of a messed up situation going on in our chicken family right now! I had black cochin cockerill running with 3 hens (cochin, sussex, and RIR) i thought i would see if i could collect a few of the cochins eggs and get her to brood on them. It kind of backfired because the sussex went broody and started to sit on them on Thursday 18th july. Anyway for the next 3/4 days the other hens added to the brood much to my annoyance, but let it be. then my cock died of a fit about 4 days later and my black cochin went broody too and stole half the eggs. so i had two broody hens on a total of 17 fertile eggs. candled at day 14 all fertile. Anyway no problems each had a clutch of eggs at either side of the coop, day 21 came, no sign, then on day 23 i spotted 1 little bundle of fluff, and a dead chic on the floor which had hatched but died for some reason. on day 24 another 2 hatched and there was a smashed egg on coop floor, it was stone cold so i removed a bit of the outer shell and the chick was near enough dead so i helped it out and put it under a heat lamp and she is now very strong and very vocal (big relief and sense of achievement) its day 27 now and the two hens have taken the 3 chick for a little outing and are now abandoning the remaining eggs. but i know they wont all be ready due to the hens adding to the clutch so i have taken them from the coop and placed them in my incubator. but im a bit concerned about not placing them in the same way i picked them up. will they get their bearings as i can hear 2 cheeping inside the egg and one has cracked the underneath but its been almost 24 hours since i heard cheeping and theres still no sign. Should i just keep going with the incubation and see what appears, i want to give them all a chance of life. I have got skype set up on my i pad and i am watching them constantly from my desk at home and i can hear them cheeping but theres been no change at all. Do you think i would have killed some moving them they were all fertile and promenant air bubbles when i candled them putting them in the incubator Any advice would be a massive help kimmy
Put them in the bator and leave them. Some eggs can take more than 24 hours to hatch after they pip externally, if they're peeping that's a good sign they're alright. Next time mark the eggs you'd like to hatch with a Sharpie and remove any new eggs laid in the broodies nest. It'll save you the heartbreak of dealing with abandoned eggs. Good luck, hopefully you have more fluffies soon!
I always mark my broody's eggs as well, that way I can get the new eggs out. In an incubator, the hatched chicks play soccer with the eggs. I'm sure you were much more gentle than that. I bet they'll be fine.
