Need some advice please

[mcgresshoff]

Hello,
I put 6 fertilized eggs under my broody Cochin on the 9th of August. The eggs were laid on the 6th from Meyer Hatchery. Do I start counting from the day the eggs are laid or from when the chicken starts sitting on them? She's been very diligent and loyal to these eggs, but so far...nothing. Surely not all 6 are duds?? What should I look for if they're not? Thanks for any help!

 

[gryeyes]

Day 1 is the first day of incubation. I would wait until the 25th day before I did anything... and I think that would be tomorrow, Saturday? Are these standard sized, large fowl eggs or bantam breed eggs? Bantam eggs sometimes hatch early, so I'd be worried if that's what you're trying to hatch. If not, try another day of waiting.

 

[mcgresshoff]

They were the assorted fertile chicken eggs, standard not bantams. So my Day 1 is the 9th of August, when I received them in the mail and put them under my Cochin. Then I count 21 days? Is it ever longer? The 21st day would have been last Sunday August 29. This waiting is almost worse than being pregnant.

 

[gryeyes]

Shipped eggs are so iffy..... so much can happen to them just by being jostled around. They might have been damaged inside just from shipping.

When you get them, one thing to do: Let the eggs "sit" for 24 hours (some folks only wait 8 hrs) after unpacking them, before you put them under the chicken or into an incubator. I don't honestly know why other than to bring them to ambient temperature before starting the incubation process.

Have you candled them at all throughout the process to see if they were developing?

My broody sat on 5 eggs, but only one hatched, and these were fertile eggs NOT shipped, but laid by her and others in my own flock. Four of 'em were duds for no particular reason.

 

[mcgresshoff]

So will my little broody just sit and sit, even if nothing happens? Poor Little Mama! I didn't do the candling because I didn't think of it. I also didn't know about letting the eggs "sit" before putting them in the nest. I'll try to hold a little hope for the weekend, but I must admit I feel despair creeping in.

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[Tropical Chook]

I feel for you. I set my eggs on the 10/11th and I've also had none hatch so far. Two mysteriously disappeared, one got broken in the nest, so I'm down to three, and today is day 23/24. I'm going to give it another day or two, but if nothing happens by then, I'll open them up to have a look inside.

Fingers crossed for you

 

[Tropical Chook]

Sorry, forgot to mention........yes you broody will continue sitting, even if you take the eggs away. She will snap out of it eventually though.

My flock free range so it's only the broodies in the coop/run during the day. When I want to break broodiness, I just remove the birds from the nests and then shut off access to the nesting boxes, but I keep them confined to the run so that they can't run off somewhere to sit again.

If your mama has been sitting on those eggs for 24/25 days and they don't hatch, I would say you should try to break her broodiness.

TC

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read my post in this thread to see how to count. From August 9, I get August 30, so they are late if they are chicken eggs. With today being the 3rd, I'd give up tomorrow. They can be 3, maybe even 4 days late, but you have to know when to fold the hand.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=319371

I don't do shipped eggs. One reason I've heard to let them settle is that they get shaken up when shipped and letting them settle allows the air sac to reestablish itself. That does not make sense to me since they will have plenty of time for the air sac to reestablish itself before it is needed by the developing chick, but I'll repeat what I've heard on this forum. Another possible reason I've heard is that if they are cold, you may get condensation on them if you put them in a hot humid incubator. Since the shell is porous, that water can soak into the egg through the shell and take bacteria with it. Like Gryeyes aid, bringing them up to ambient temperature would help with that. That makes more sense to me.

I feel for you and the hen. Sorry. This link may come in handy.

Break a Broody Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2176186#p2176186

 

[Lollipop]

Couple of things here. Shipped eggs really are iffy. It`s cheaper to buy chicks in the long run. The other thing is, if nothing happens by day 25, get some more fertile eggs and let her do it again. As long as she eats, drinks, and eliminates, she will be fine for another 3 weeks or so. Get some local eggs this time. It`s worth the effort to locate them. Try the feed store patrons. Most anyone with chickens will sell/give you a few fertile eggs, maybe even a dozen. Don`t give up so easy..........Pop

 

[mcgresshoff]

Thanks to Pop, Ridgerunner, and TC. I'll wait until tomorrow evening then see what happened to the eggs. I'll check the local feed store tomorrow to try and track down some local fertile eggs. My Little Mama will still sit, I think. She's one determined bird! I've been feeding her from my hand and giving her water while she sits and she is CLEARLY eliminating. I really appreciate all the help.