One chick hatched and mama not settin anymore.......

[apdan]

I need advice...... I have one hen setting and she hatched out one egg so far, she was settin on about 9 other eggs and I checked them and no activity going on! but I came home yesterday and she is outside with her new chick, so does that mean I have to throw the other eggs out or is there a chance she will keep setting on them???

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

It seems to me that the hens are able to tell if they are alive or not. I had a hen to brood two batches now and she stayed on the first batch after the first ones hatched but on her second round she hatched out two and left the nest with them. The other three were still unhatched...I candled them and no movement, opened them up and they were all gone. I think they just know.

 

[chickenlady08]

When my first hen went broody last year I had different hatch dates because some eggs got broke and then thinking that they had all been destroyed b the other hens I gave her more to sit on. Well I candled each one and they had signs of life in the remaining 2 left. I took the baby chick and put her under the heat lamp and gave him food and water and a stuffed animal to snuggle with until the others were hatched. It took her 3 day to hatch them all out but I then brought her into my garage and gave her the 2 other babies she had hatched.

Good Luck

 

[apdan]

Thank you! I will have to try the candeling and taking her one chick away. I know these eggs are at different times, I seperated her to late and she kicked out some of her first eggs and took on some new eggs before I seperated her. I will try candeling the eggs and go from there!!

 

[chickenlady08]

Your welcome. I hope it works for you. If it is stretched out like mine the Momma would have left the nest before the last one was born. My WJG Missy just hatched out 3 babies in April. She was very determined and if I hadn't candled to see if the remaining were viable she would not have gotten off of the nest. I think it depends on the breed of chicken. I had to take the eggs away because they had stopped growing and she needed to teach her babies how to be chickens. One was 1 month old yesterday and the other is a month old tomorrow. the last one died at 3 days old. It was my favorite and it broke my heart but she at least has 2 babies to raise.


Good Luck!