New member, but I need advice about hen setting on non-hatching eggs.

[doctormap22]

Hello, I have been perusing the BYC posts for years, but just never became a member, so now I am a new member. I started with just a few chickens in the city about 10 years ago, and then expanded when we moved to the country. We have several different breeds, I'm really not sure what they all are. We mainly raise them for the eggs, and then we raise some cockerels from time to time for the freezer.

My main reason for posting today is, that I need some advice. I have a setting hen that hatched a chick yesterday. The other ten eggs have not hatched yet, but she is still setting on them. I am giving her and the chick food and water in the nesting box. The question is, how long will she keep setting on those eggs if they aren't going to hatch? Should I just leave her alone, and just keep giving her and the chick food and water in the nesting box?

I'm worried.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Give her some more time. She will leave when she thinks the eggs are not going to hatch.
Had you candled at any point during her incubation?

 

[Kiki]

Welcome!
Can you grab two eggs out from underneath her and take them inside your house and shine a light into them to see if they are indeed fertile/close to hatching?

 

[Dr Evy]

Welcome to BYC. We’re so glad you joined!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to hang out and explore. There is the question is box where other birds may lay ?

 

[doctormap22]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to hang out and explore. There is the question is box where other birds may lay ?

I have separated this one from the other nesting boxes. This box is the Number One box. For a while, everyone wanted to lay their eggs in Number Three. Then they switched to Number One. When this hen started to go broody, everyone was still trying to get in there to lay their eggs. It took me a long time to get them switched over to the other boxes. For the last couple weeks she has had this one all to herself.

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Good luck with your broody and more of those egg's hatching soon!

 

[doctormap22]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Give her some more time. She will leave when she thinks the eggs are not going to hatch.
Had you candled at any point during her incubation?

I have been carefully watching the progress of the eggs about every 3 or 4 days, up until day 18 or so. The exact day was a bit of a guess, because I wasn't really sure if she was serious about this for the first several days. So, yes, I know the eggs have been developing like they should.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Boppo]

That might mean that some of the eggs are such different ages that they might not all hatch. The hen will have a good idea how long to sit. But you can look at the remainders and candle them, then decide if you want to try incubating them. What a pretty hen you have! Welcome to BYC!