Trust in the hen.
At the very end, the hen stops taking bio breaks. Not sure how they know, but most of mine sit tight and hardly budge. The eggs are against her skin and the humidity increases as needed for the hatching process. If she's a good mom, she'll stay that way until she leaves the nest for the 1st time with her chicks. If started at same time, all the eggs should hatch at same time - within about 1-2 days. Hen waits until either all chicks are hatched or she decides no more will hatch.
There are many reasons there could be a delay in the hatch date. I had a hen forget and return to the wrong nestbox. After being off nest for hours (in mid-winter with temps well below freezing), the hen was placed back onto her very cold eggs. The embryos went dormant but didn't die. All hatched a few days late. I've also had a hen hatch eggs in only 19 days in the middle of the hot summer.
At the very end, the hen stops taking bio breaks. Not sure how they know, but most of mine sit tight and hardly budge. The eggs are against her skin and the humidity increases as needed for the hatching process. If she's a good mom, she'll stay that way until she leaves the nest for the 1st time with her chicks. If started at same time, all the eggs should hatch at same time - within about 1-2 days. Hen waits until either all chicks are hatched or she decides no more will hatch.
There are many reasons there could be a delay in the hatch date. I had a hen forget and return to the wrong nestbox. After being off nest for hours (in mid-winter with temps well below freezing), the hen was placed back onto her very cold eggs. The embryos went dormant but didn't die. All hatched a few days late. I've also had a hen hatch eggs in only 19 days in the middle of the hot summer.
Big Congrats!
