Please Help Me!

[JadeMurphy]

My broody has been sat for almost four weeks now, with no results. This incubation session has been a complete mess for her, I was away and nobody in my family took eggs from her so she ended up with developing eggs up to two weeks apart.

Then we had a rotten egg scenario which I believe to have affected the remaining eggs. She is showing no signs of giving up, and is sat on 4 now. I'm still not sure on the progress of these, even though I have tried very hard to determine through candling.

Is it too much of a risk to reset her with a clutch of new eggs this weekend? I really don't think anything is going to hatch from the four that are left.

If I reset her this weekend, once the chicks are hatched (if she stays on them for the full amount of time), she'll have been sat for approximately seven weeks. Is this far too long? She gets up and eats/drinks normally for so long every day.

Any opinions or help would be greatly appreciated as I'm not sure what to do for the best for her, chicks, or me.

 

[ailurophile23]

My inclination would be to take the eggs away and give her a break and let her recover from sitting so long. As for the eggs she is on, do you have an incubator? If so, you could move them to that and give them another week or so just in case. Good luck!

 

[flewdacoop]

i agree with the post above give her a break and put eggs in incubator

 

[JadeMurphy]

I don't have an incubator so they'd have to be thrown.

If I take them is it more likely that she'll continue to sit or give up?

I can buy her a couple of chicks from down the road, it's just disappointing that she hasn't been able to hatch them herself. I could stop it that way though couldn't I?

 

[mstricer]

I had a broody hen last year that sat for the whole summer without success until the last set, to which she was a horrible mom. She just would not give up. What I did do, though, to keep her weight up was to give her lots of corn and scratch, every time she got off the nest. This year she sat for 3 weeks hatched out three chicks and did great. I am over run with broodys right now. One hatched Sat. One started hatching last night and today and one I set Monday. I will have lots of little D'Uccle's running around. YEAH I LOVE THE LITTLE CUTIES

 

[JadeMurphy]

Our broody does seem to be quite an aggressive hen.

She has lost some weight, not enough to really worry, but enough that I can notice.

I think I may do a egg/chick swap late tonight & see how they get on. I hope she'll be happy with them!

 

[ailurophile23]

If you remove the eggs, she may give up or she may stay broody - in which case, it might be best to break her broodiness. If you do swap in new eggs for her, do try to give her high calorie treats to encourage her to eat and not lose any more weight - she may have lost more weight than you realize (feathers hide a lot!). Also, be aware that she may just walk away from the eggs at some point - since she has been sitting so long, it is hard to tell how much longer the broodiness may continue. It might be worthwhile to invest in an incubator just in case.

 

[JadeMurphy]

Would it solve the problem if I swapped her current eggs for a couple of day old chicks?

I think I know the answer to this but do you think it would be better to swap in a couple of babies and stop this as opposed to new eggs to restart it?

 

[MIKE555444]

Word of caution on giving her chicks...

Sometimes this works fine... but sometimes she will slaughter them. I have had both happen.

If you try to do this do it when you will be home to watch her for a while

 

[JadeMurphy]

OK, thanks. I am prepared enough to house and keep chicks if that happens (& I get there in time.)

I've read that it's best to do it during the night. Is this correct?

I'm starting to believe it's my best option, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.