morning! I am trying to learn to see what went wrong for the future. We have a broody hen, so I gave her some fertilized eggs. She is a factory farm girl so I never expected her to go broody, nor do we have a rooster to allow it.
I had her in the coop, but about a week in we lost 2 eggs, I think to overcrowding as the other ladies wanted to lay there when she got up for food. There was also a little bullying. So I moved her to a seperate area. I have been checking occasionally and although hard to see it did look like some were progressing. Day 21 came and nothing, we are on day 24 and I found a broken eggs rotting smelling. I was going to only go till 25 days. But I checked 3 other eggs and one looked to stop growing at like 2 weeks+, others 2 eggs looks like after a week. She still has 2 eggs that im going to switch out for three 4 day old chicks. She deserves something.
So trying to learn, could the 2 eggs that broke and got all over the other eggs caused the other eggs to not develop? Are the eggs porous enough that it affected them? Also we had some colder damp nights a week ago and while she had shelter maybe her body heat couldn't keep up?
Next time I decide to let a hen sit I will seperate sooner. We have about 90 birds, chickens, ducks, turkeys and guineas so either could mess with a new mama. We dont have an incubator because we normally don't hatch. Thanks!
I had her in the coop, but about a week in we lost 2 eggs, I think to overcrowding as the other ladies wanted to lay there when she got up for food. There was also a little bullying. So I moved her to a seperate area. I have been checking occasionally and although hard to see it did look like some were progressing. Day 21 came and nothing, we are on day 24 and I found a broken eggs rotting smelling. I was going to only go till 25 days. But I checked 3 other eggs and one looked to stop growing at like 2 weeks+, others 2 eggs looks like after a week. She still has 2 eggs that im going to switch out for three 4 day old chicks. She deserves something.
So trying to learn, could the 2 eggs that broke and got all over the other eggs caused the other eggs to not develop? Are the eggs porous enough that it affected them? Also we had some colder damp nights a week ago and while she had shelter maybe her body heat couldn't keep up?
Next time I decide to let a hen sit I will seperate sooner. We have about 90 birds, chickens, ducks, turkeys and guineas so either could mess with a new mama. We dont have an incubator because we normally don't hatch. Thanks!
