Only one egg hatched under broody so far. Advice?

[lifein1840]

I appreciate all of you that took the time to reply to my post, thank you.

I just finished candling the remaining 11 eggs. I was surprised to see that ALL of them were WATERY looking inside. That means they never developed, right? There were two that were slightly thicker in consistency but not by much. I’m a little surprised that I actually GOT one beautiful little chick after seeing those 11 watery ones! I’m assuming they would all stink if I cracked them open...am I right? My husband was curious to see if there was any kind of development inside them at all, but I don’t know if I want to smell 11 rotten eggs!

So do you guys think this watery egg result is due to the hatching eggs being sent to me through the mail then? I’m sure it must have been a tough journey for them, no doubt. They arrived in great shape with excellent packaging. I was hopeful. Yet, I still knew some wouldn’t hatch out. I definitely didn’t expect to get only 1 chick out of 12 eggs though. Would it have made a difference if I let them rest longer than 9 hours before I put them under my broody hen? She was a very dedicated mama, so it didn’t have anything to do with her not sitting on them sufficiently- that’s for sure.

You should make friends with your local 4-H groups. I buy fertile eggs from them or people I have met through them. I usually have very good if not 100% hatch rates since I just drive local and pick up the eggs. I wish you better luck in the future, I'm sure you are so disappointed!

 

[bkjerabek1]

So do you suggest that I remove the 11 eggs out of the nest at this point then, at the end of day 23?

Don't do anything but flick the outside of each egg with your finger. That is what I did. Some cheaped back and I left them others turned out no one was home! Day 25 they peeped from egg.

 

[NatJ]

Don't do anything but flick the outside of each egg with your finger. That is what I did. Some cheaped back and I left them others turned out no one was home! Day 25 they peeped from egg.

OP has already candled the eggs, and found no chicks in any of the others:

I just finished candling the remaining 11 eggs. I was surprised to see that ALL of them were WATERY looking inside. That means they never developed, right?

 

[KauaiChickenMama]

You should make friends with your local 4-H groups. I buy fertile eggs from them or people I have met through them. I usually have very good if not 100% hatch rates since I just drive local and pick up the eggs. I wish you better luck in the future, I'm sure you are so disappointed!

What is a 4-H Group? And how do I find them? Not sure if there is such a thing here on Kauai.

I’m actually not too disappointed. To be honest, I feel quite grateful that at least ONE chick made it especially after the 11 other eggs weren’t even developed. It must have a special little chicken soul, lol! I’m just glad my young broody hen has a baby to care for after 3 long weeks of her dedication to her nest. If another hen becomes broody, I’ll definitely let the hatching eggs rest longer than 9 hours before placing them underneath. Maybe that could help make a difference.

 

[NatJ]

What is a 4-H Group? And how do I find them? Not sure if there is such a thing here on Kauai.

4-H has groups in many parts of the country. Here's the group-finder on their website:

https://4-h.org/find/

Lots of kids who are in 4-H raise animals of one kind or another.

 

[KauaiChickenMama]

4-H has groups in many parts of the country. Here's the group-finder on their website:

https://4-h.org/find/

Lots of kids who are in 4-H raise animals of one kind or another.

Thank you so much for the link, NatJ! I’ll definitely take a look. This would be an ideal option on my island if they have the breed(s) I want.

 

[Doctor L]

Our young hen went broody so we ordered 12 Lavender Orpington hatching eggs for her. I let the shipped eggs rest for 9 hours, pointed side down, before putting them under her that night. She is in a separate pen, next to her sisters. On day 21, only one of the eggs hatched. The chick is adorable and is doing well. None of the others have hatched yet. I wanted to give it a couple of days to see if any late bloomers showed up on their own before I interfered at all. Today is day 23. Now what? She remains dedicated and is still sitting on the remaining 11 eggs. The one chick stays close to mama and has been eating and drinking just fine. If the rest of the eggs are not viable, will mama naturally abandon the nest of unhatched eggs on her own? Or will she just continue to sit on the eggs until they go rotten or what? What do you guys recommend I do at this point?

12 eggs..? There’s the problem. That’s too many eggs (I’ve been doing this for over 45 years). I’ll only set 8 eggs, Max, and that’s for a large breed bird… Momma has to generate a lot of heat to keep all those eggs at almost 100 degrees… Next time, try only six. You’ll have better results and “Much Less Stress” for mamma… Good Luck.
+Blessings
Rev. Dr. L. Barbagallo,Jr.

 

[KauaiChickenMama]

Oh really? 12 eggs is too much?

I read somewhere that 12 was about average as hens in the wild will lay a clutch of a dozen (or more) before sitting on them to incubate.

I originally ordered 6 hatching eggs but the seller ended up sending me 12. She said she sent me more just in case any broke during shipping. All 12 arrived in perfect condition, so I let them rest for 9 hours (pointed end down) and then put them under my broody young hen before I went to bed. (Maybe 9 hours was not long enough? I read that 6 hours was the minimum. What is your opinion on that?) I figured putting all 12 under her would not be a problem since my young hens are bigger girls. She seemed to cover all of the eggs with no problem when looking at her sitting on the nest but perhaps a smaller clutch would have been easier for her to manage?

As you may already know from this thread, only 1 out of 12 hatched. Out of the 11 that were not viable, 10 weren’t even developed at all. And after candling and opening the eggs, only one of those 11 eggs showed a small amount of development. I’m just grateful that one special little chicken made it!

I will try a smaller clutch next time, thanks @Doctor L

 

[KauaiChickenMama]

This pic was taken today of our “special” Lavender Orpington baby chick (the only one that made it out of 12) with our young broody mama. He/she is 2 weeks and 4 days old today. At what age can you tell the sex?