New to this please help? I think all my eggs died

[bobbi-j]

Ok good! Thank you!

I will keep updated I will candle again in the next few days! I'm worried though I have to bring my hen food and water because this is her first brood and she REFUSUES to get up and eat and drink

She really needs to get up to eat and drink, and would given the chance. They know what to do. Unless you're watching 24/7, it's entirely possible to miss it when she does get up. By bringing her food and water, you are also not giving her a chance to get off her nest to poop, which means she may do that in the nest and ruin your eggs. Hens are instinctively secretive when they're broody. At this point, now that you know that they're developing I'd also stop candling. The more you handle the eggs, the more chance you have of accidentally damaging them or introducing bacteria through your contact with them. Keep food and water available to her where she needs to get off the nest, leave her alone, and let her do her job. I wouldn't even check for pips, zips or chicks for at least one day after they're due to hatch. I will admit, though, when I have a broody I do sit in the coop and listen for peeps...

 

[Laney3535]

She really needs to get up to eat and drink, and would given the chance. They know what to do. Unless you're watching 24/7, it's entirely possible to miss it when she does get up. By bringing her food and water, you are also not giving her a chance to get off her nest to poop, which means she may do that in the nest and ruin your eggs. Hens are instinctively secretive when they're broody.  At this point, now that you know that they're developing I'd also stop candling. The more you handle the eggs, the more chance you have of accidentally damaging them or introducing bacteria through your contact with them. Keep food and water available to her where she needs to get off the nest, leave her alone, and let her do her job. I wouldn't even check for pips, zips or chicks for at least one day after they're due to hatch. I will admit, though, when I have a broody I do sit in the coop and listen for peeps... 

I wasn't planning on candling all of the eggs just my questionable tomorrow until I stop to give them their time to hatch! she is getting out to poop and she gets water and a few pieces of food that I have noticed I keep the water and food dishes a few feet away from her best because I want her to get up but the other hens ty to climb in her box when she gets out so I've been locking all the other hens out of the coop during the day to keep her stress levels down

 

[bobbi-j]

I wasn't planning on candling all of the eggs just my questionable tomorrow until I stop to give them their time to hatch!

she is getting out to poop and she gets water and a few pieces of food that I have noticed I keep the water and food dishes a few feet away from her best because I want her to get up but the other hens ty to climb in her box when she gets out so I've been locking all the other hens out of the coop during the day to keep her stress levels down

Good idea. Hope you have a great hatch! I love watching a broody mama with her babies.

 

[Laney3535]

WOOHOO! Two babies so far! Well that I can hear! One crawled out to say hello!

 

[123RedBeard]

That's GREAT! More to follow soon ...

Their so cute when little fluff balls!

 

[Laney3535]

Last I checked two hatched and I had 9 there my hen is being so nice to me since her babies started hatching! I reached in to pet her and she stood up enough for me too look under and see her babies and she looked so happy! Now she doesn't growl at me when I come near her

 

[chickbrad24]

Congratulations!!I have a couple concerns with my broody hen. I found my broody Jersey giant my second broody hen this year. My first broody was a Buff Brahma and tried sitting on 23 eggs and it didn't go very well. I found my Jersey hen under our air conditioning unit outside like a week and a half ago. I'm not sure how many eggs she is sitting on. So I think I might candle them tonight. I am aslo worried because the temperature at night has been really low yesterday it was 27 with flurries.I'm just worried for her she's only 6 months old.

 

[Laney3535]

Congratulations!!I have a couple concerns with my broody hen. I found my broody Jersey giant my second broody hen this year. My first broody was a Buff Brahma and tried sitting on 23 eggs and it didn't go very well. I found my Jersey hen under our air conditioning unit outside like a week and a half ago. I'm not sure how many eggs she is sitting on. So I think I might candle them tonight. I am aslo worried because the temperature at night has been really low yesterday it was 27 with flurries.I'm just worried for her she's only 6 months old.

Wow 6 months? Well I have had 4 hens in my life go broody. I have suscesfully moved the nests of all 4. My latest broody hen sat on 5 eggs and on day 6 she got up from the best to eat and turns out the nesting box wasn't level so all of the eggs rolled out and broke on the floor... She was vey angry, so I built her a cute little nesting box out wood shavings in it and gave her a new clutch of eggs. I put her in the box and she sat on the eggs until they hatched which is today! Hens don't usually seem to mind when you move their nests, especially when the new nest is more secure! You can try to move her eggs to a new spot maybe in your coop? And then take her in and set her on her eggs and wait there until she lays down on them, usually they get the hint the first try. The only hen I had problems with was my hen 2 years ago.... She was extremely aggressive. I had to wear welding gloves to move her eggs and her to a safer nest. If you don't want to move her you can make a nesting box that is enclosed and put her eggs in it and put it back in the spot you found her nest and put her back in it. I made a nesting box taking two drawers from and old dresser and putting he openings together to make a closed in box and cut a hole in the frount to make an entry and exit. She loves it! Then I took a lid to a tote and put it on top. So hens roosting wouldn't poop on the wood just the lid!

 

[chickbrad24]

Yes Laney3535 she is 6 months old she maybe laid about 4 eggs before she went broody. This is what She is under.
our air conditioner unit. I'm just scared last time a moved a broody hen My Buff Bramha she sat on her eggs 6 days after i moved her and then lost interest.
I don't have an incubator as back up.



And here she is. I put some straw outside the other day by the opening and she scooped it right up.
I haven't noticed if she has even gotten off the nest i want to candle the eggs so badly, but i don't want to
stress her out even more.

 

[Laney3535]

I know it's not the best thing but I had to move my hen her eggs and her babies just now.... She broke open a rotten one and I started gagging from the smell so I moved her to a new box and then moved the chicks and eggs slowly and she is plenty happy again!