only 2 of 15 fertilized!!

[Lady609]

My little hen has been broody about a week with 15 eggs. This is my first time, so I wasn't sure what to expect but this forum was a great source of information!
I decided to candle them after watching some videos. I found one that looks healthy, with good strong veins. I found one that definitely had the blood ring, but the other 13 don't even look fertilized. I pulled all of the eggs except the healthy one and put 2 fake eggs under her. I was thinking ii would put all of tomorrow eggs under her so she had more than one chick, if that one makes it. Is this a good or bad idea?

 

[junebuggena]

Not the greatest idea. Sometimes, what looks like a clear egg on day 7, could actually be a healthy, viable embryo on day 10. That's why you shouldn't remove any eggs until after at least day 10.
If you put new eggs under her, you will have to finish incubating them. She will leave the nest to care for the first hatcher after a day or two, leaving the rest of the eggs to go cold with a week of development still left.

 

[Lady609]

:/ I already pulled ...m lesson learned. Now I feel like a horrible mommy! ugh
What if I remove the first chick that hatches and leave the other eggs in there? Will she continue to sit then?

 

[junebuggena]

She might continue to if you remove the egg at the first signs of hatching. But then you will be left raising a lone chick. She might not accept it back once the others have hatched.

 

[Lady609]

Hmmm ... maybe I'll just buy it a friend, or if my sister has chicks let her raise it with them.