Pullet Sitting on Eggs

[Tretinker]

Hi all,

We have a 30 odd week old sat on eggs. We do have a rooster but he is only around 20 weeks old.

About 3 weeks ago she started sitting but we kept removing th eggs and trying to encourage her out. Her sister had already been through this and we had broken her.

After a week or so of removing eggs we accidentally left one under her. The other girls had been laying in another box and we didn't realise she had an egg. Then her sister gave her another, and another. By the time we realised she had 4 eggs showing development.

We decided to leave her with these as she's so determined and they had started. So we have been going in and removing the other eggs daily and last night I candled the eggs we had estimated they were 7 days in. One egg is showing significant growth and the other 3 lots of blood vessels.

But now I have myself worried that I've not been gentle enough with these eggs, I've turned them while trying to light them and moved them in and out while checking for other eggs.

It's only just occured to me I should be gentle which is stupid I know but until last night I didn't imagine they would actually grow!

I can't undo what I've done but could they still continue to grow? So the eggs have been laid one a day with the oldest been 4 days older than the youngest we suspect if her sister laid evey day. This isn't ideal either I know but we are here.

The plan is to bring the chicks in if any hatch and grow them on indoors as the coop isn't really chick friendly.

Happy to take any advice. If any do hatch and we get roos they will be dealt with. Although may interest someone as dad is an olive egger and mum is a Araucana

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I wouldn't worry unless you gave them sudden jolts in the process.
Your issue will be the staggered hatch. After the first hatch, a day or two later the hen will leave the nest to care for the live chick/s and abandon any late bloomers so you'll need to make plans in that eventuality.
What makes the coop "not chick friendly"?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

But now I have myself worried that I've not been gentle enough with these eggs, I've turned them while trying to light them and moved them in and out while checking for other eggs.

It's only just occured to me I should be gentle

Broody hens rotate and turn their eggs several times daily to ensure even growth, which is why candling eggs doesn't harm the growing chick. The only time you should Not handle the eggs is during the last 3 eggs before hatch. During the last 3 days a chick is maneuvering into hatching position. If eggs are rotated during the last 3 days, a chick will need to maneuver into hatching position again, and a weak chick may not have the strength to escape it's shell. An artificial incubator mimics the behaviors of a broody hen, turning the eggs several times daily until the last 3 days, when the incubator goes into "lockdown."

The plan is to bring the chicks in if any hatch and grow them on indoors as the coop isn't really chick friendly.

When my hens first started hatching chicks, I brought them indoors to raise, the same as you are thinking about doing. My biggest concerns were other hens and snakes. But when I saw how despondent broodies were after I took their chicks, and realized the efforts they had taken to incubate and hatch them, I realized I was really no different than any other chick predator, at least from the perspective of mama hen. My solution was to make safe, separate broody pens completely wrapped and enclosed with 1/2" hardware cloth. I now let broodies out with chicks out during the day, since other hens now pay them no mind and snakes are mainly only active at night. And I discovered how much i enjoy watching broodies raise their chicks as nature intended.

I don't think any sudden jolting as I'm a bit clumsy so I try to be care with any egg so that's hopefully a positive!

if I were really lucky to arrive straight after hatching could I scoop up said chick and bring it in to brood? Would she stay sat then?

There is no need to remove the chick as soon as it has hatched. It takes about 24 hours for the chick to dry and regain strength expended from hatching. Mama hen will feel no pressure to leave the nest and tend to the first chick before then. Several times I've had a chick hatch 48 hours before the other chicks, even though all eggs were given to the broody at the exact same time. When this occurs I do bring the lone chick inside to a temporary brooder, complete with heat, food and water. Once the other chicks have hatched, I slip the earlybird chick back underneath mom at night. It is important to give early chick(s) back to mom Before she takes her chicks out of the nest box for the first time, otherwise she may reject the first chick(s) as not her own.

How cold will your outside temperatures be on the days soon following the hatch date?

 

[NatJ]

Do I intervene

It's definitely at the latest day 21

If you intervene too early with an egg in an incubator, and it bleeds a little, you can stop and put the egg back for a while. But when the egg is under a hen, she might peck at the blood and hurt the chick.

So if you know it is no later than day 21, and might possibly be earlier, I would not intervene at this time.

I'm sure that two had internally pipped last night.
these look internally zipped don't they?

I'm not good at interpreting candling photos, so I can't help there. But I thought zipping (going all the way around) was through the shell too, not just the membrane, and would come after an external pip

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Do I intervene or with mama help them if needed? I've read through the guidance of helping if absolutely necessary so I know that I need to draw a line where the air cell is and the score a small x until it allows a little air in but it will be 24 hours since I saw them in the air cell around 6 hours from now so I'm hoping they still do it on their own.

But ....most of the info I can find is about incubator helping and not broody so does this mean Marshmallow might help and I won't have to?

To answer your question that is now irrelevant if the chicks have died in the shell (!), I've literally had dozens of broodies hatch 100s of chicks, and I've never seen a broody help a chick out of a shell. Not saying it's not possible, but I think highly unlikely.

In your pictures posted earlier this morn, the 2nd pic (I couldn't see the egg number) does look like the chick may have died in the shell.
As far as not seeing movement, I wouldn't worry about that too much yet. Chicks will rest after internally pipping into the egg sac before they make their final effort to escape the egg.

 

[Tretinker]

I thought I would do a little update on Uno.

She doing great, mama is very attentive. They spend the day in the run with the other chickens but separated by wire.

Yesterday I watch as our normally placid Orpington got up in Marshmallows grille and mama stood her ground ready to do battle with the Orpington who is three times Marshmallows size. So with the wire fencing between them they chest bumped and got over it.

The chick keeps flying over and exploring the big run when mamas back is turned but no one seems interested and when Marshmallow calls she comes running straight back.

Hoping they can stay outside soon but husband needs to sort out the door to the house. We have a fox lurking that if he finds a way in a night we need to be sure they are safe.

 

[Tretinker]

I'm so upset, our chick has passed away.

She got out into the main run and this time didn't make it back

I went out like I do every night to get them and bring them into the garage and Marshmallow was in the main coop with everyone and I knew then the chick was dead.

I search and eventually found her. She was just laying there not moving.

I'm gutted

Will Marshmallow be okay?

I should have built the wire higher.

 

[Yardmom]

3 days before hatch would be the earliest you could hear something, but You won't hear much until hatch day. It is fine if you want to candle.

 

[Tretinker]

Number one looks like something is pushing though maybe?
The other 3 still look alive at least.
If marshmallow leaves the nest once the older ones we now have a backup in her sister who is back to being broody. Noodles isn't as dedicated as marshmallow but hopefully as it's only a few days she'll stick it out

 

[Tretinker]

We have a baby chick!