Please help! Eggs hatching right now!

[judial8907]

Quick question. I have a broody hen she just hatched out a silkie cross and has 3 more working on getting out. The hen is pecking at the other shells, she does not seem to be hurting the chicks, but my question is will this hurt the chicks? I read so much about how we (humans) should try to avoid giving hatching assistance, so does the same apply to the hens, or do they know what to do and when to stop?

 

[mstricer]

I would assume the reason could be that you are bothering her, by lifting her up to see what is going on. Maybe you should just leave her be and she won't be so nervous.

Michele

 

[judial8907]

She did good, and now I have 4 little fuzzy butts to watch grow. I had to bring her and the chicks inside plus the eggs that are due tonite or tomorrow because I have such a fly problem right because of the weather. She did not miss a beat with me bringing her in, she went right back to it. 3 black chicks and one yellow/black (may actually turn out to be white when it dries completly). They all have 5 toes (like their silkie daddy) except one that only has 4 toes.

 

[crazypetlady]

congrats!!!

 

[bald k9]

the shell picking was normal with my hen , actually she pecked it til it no longer looked liked an egg and the picked itup and toss it out of the nestbox, I thought i was seeing things but she did that with all the chicks, not one eggshell was left in the nest, Did your hen leave the shells in the nest? PS congrats

 

[judial8907]

Nope she got rid of them too. So maybe it is a safety instinct for predators with them. Either way all the babies made it out safely and they are now settling in for a good night's sleep (provided the other 2 eggs that are due to hatch anytime don't decide to do it tonite). So I am still in anticipation mode

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[1 hen and 1 roo]

Congrats! Chicks hatching are so exciting whether in incubator or under a hen. We had an Ameraucana hen go broody so my daughter put 5 OEGB eggs under her one night and she sat on them and 3 of them hatched. We left them there for about 2 days and then moved them at night into a coop of their own with the Hen. We had other hens in her coop who kept going in and depositing their infertile eggs in her nest box. She was a very good mom to them. It took what seemed like forever for her to get back in the routine of laying eggs once we took the chicks away. They were so tiny against her since she is a large fowl and they were bantams.

 

[SkyWarrior]

 

[judial8907]

I am so happy, all 6 of the eggs I let my polish sit on were fertile and now the reward, I have 4 happy healthy fuzzy butts and 2 more pipping tonite. I guess third time is a charm. I tried incubating 2 other batches in an obviously crappy incubator and lost all of them. My husband and I think it was somewhere around 25 or so. I figured I would give it a third time with a broody and all are either here or pipping. I don't care what anyone says, waking up every morning knowing that you may have more peepers is so cool, I love it. I will post pics of the whole little fuzzy family as soon as the other 2 make their entrance into the world.