Pullet Sitting on Eggs

[Sussex19]

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

Exciting! I hope they all hatch.

 

[Tretinker]

Exciting! I hope they all hatch.

Thank you!

 

[Tretinker]

We have a baby chick!

 

[Sussex19]

 

[Tretinker]

So we've had no more hatch but I'm sure that two had internally pipped last night. I haven't heard these cheep like the first but as the little chick is now out cheeping maybe I can't hear them?

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?

Do these eggs look ok? So all we did was slide them out from under her and then straight on the torch without rolling or moving the egg as much as possible.

It's definitely at the latest day 21 but I understand that even then it could take a few extra days but these look internally zipped don't they?

 

[Sussex19]

I'm really not sure, I haven't noticed my hens helping, and I'm a bit doubtful that they do.
@BelovedBirds do you have any ideas, or know who to tag?

 

[BelovedBirds]

So we've had no more hatch but I'm sure that two had internally pipped last night. I haven't heard these cheep like the first but as the little chick is now out cheeping maybe I can't hear them?

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?

Do these eggs look ok? So all we did was slide them out from under her and then straight on the torch without rolling or moving the egg as much as possible.

It's definitely at the latest day 21 but I understand that even then it could take a few extra days but these look internally zipped don't they?

Is there movement in the air cell?
Theres only so much advice I can give here, as I dont have broodies and have only ever used an incubator. But from what I've heard the mama sometimes will help, but generally that happens when they hear and see a chick hatching, I believe. If the babies dont make chirps, she may not. And plenty of hens wont help.
Is this a first time broody? Has she done this before? Successfully?

If they seem internally pipped, I would wait until its been about 24 hours or so, then make a small safety hole in the air cell. Then leave be. But its up to you whether you want to intervene or leave it to nature.

On another note, I would be a little cautious here, since there is one chick already hatched, mama will only stay on the remaining eggs for so long. Do you have an incubator or anything as back up if the worst happens?

 

[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

 

[Tretinker]

Is there movement in the air cell?
Theres only so much advice I can give here, as I dont have broodies and have only ever used an incubator. But from what I've heard the mama sometimes will help, but generally that happens when they hear and see a chick hatching, I believe. If the babies dont make chirps, she may not. And plenty of hens wont help.
Is this a first time broody? Has she done this before? Successfully?

If they seem internally pipped, I would wait until its been about 24 hours or so, then make a small safety hole in the air cell. Then leave be. But its up to you whether you want to intervene or leave it to nature.

On another note, I would be a little cautious here, since there is one chick already hatched, mama will only stay on the remaining eggs for so long. Do you have an incubator or anything as back up if the worst happens?

Yes, we are watching her closely, we don't have a proper incubator so have set up a makeshift one while I'm asking around if anyone local has one we can borrow for a few days.

I'm going to wait and see how we go buy mama is not even a year old but had been broody for months, she is new to this.

Last night when we looked there was a good amount of movement in the eggs for sure.

 

[Tretinker]

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 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

I'm sure that today is day 21 but I really think something is wrong with these

The last egg I didn't get a picture of but I could see a foot against the shell but not moving.

I couldn't see any movement whatsoever.