Safe to leave bait egg with hen?

[JustinWines]

Hello everyone great forum! I have searched for the specific question I am asking but after few hours of searching I have come up with nothing. But I was wondering:. My chicken has just hatched today 4 chicks and there is one more egg unhatched and a fake egg. I am wondering once the last one hatches if it even does and if the mother still sitting on the fake egg should I remove the fake egg. I don't want her to stay sitting in the nest box as she has for 21 days already And want her to get up and walk around to be active and so I could clean the area. Thing is I don't want to disturb her and I have no idea when she gets up to eat and poop once a day. will she be able to take care of her chicks and incubate at the same time?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You can wait up to 2 days after the first chick hatched, then the mother should abandon the nest to feed and take care of the babies who will need food and water by then.

That will allow the late egg a chance to hatch, although in my experience they rarely do.

Then, remove the late egg and the fake egg. You do not want to encourage a mother to sit when she needs to be up with the chicks. Some hens are so deep into brooding, they will ignore the newly hatched chicks to sit on any leftover eggs. They need to break that stupor, so remove all eggs.

Usually the hen abandons the nest and takes the babes to food and water and a new location after 2 days...but you want to encourage that transition.

Congratulations on your hatch
LofMc

 

[JustinWines]

You can wait up to 2 days after the first chick hatched, then the mother should abandon the nest to feed and take care of the babies who will need food and water by then.

That will allow the late egg a chance to hatch, although in my experience they rarely do.

Then, remove the late egg and the fake egg. You do not want to encourage a mother to sit when she needs to be up with the chicks. Some hens are so deep into brooding, they will ignore the newly hatched chicks to sit on any leftover eggs. They need to break that stupor, so remove all eggs.

Usually the hen abandons the nest and takes the babes to food and water and a new location after 2 days...but you want to encourage that transition.

Congratulations on your hatch
LofMc

Okay I See thank you exactly what I was wondering! Yeah it seems she even moves the broken shells under her as well to nest but l want to wait the 2 days to remove just in case it will startle her or something. Yes I see I had figured that about the late egg. Thank you so much!! Appreciate it!

 

[JustinWines]

You can wait up to 2 days after the first chick hatched, then the mother should abandon the nest to feed and take care of the babies who will need food and water by then.

That will allow the late egg a chance to hatch, although in my experience they rarely do.

Then, remove the late egg and the fake egg. You do not want to encourage a mother to sit when she needs to be up with the chicks. Some hens are so deep into brooding, they will ignore the newly hatched chicks to sit on any leftover eggs. They need to break that stupor, so remove all eggs.

Usually the hen abandons the nest and takes the babes to food and water and a new location after 2 days...but you want to encourage that transition.

Congratulations on your hatch
LofMc

Update on my first hatch, because I really didn't think the fifth egg was going to hatch but it did! Was also able to figure out time the mother head away from nest and was able to clean it up and remove fake egg. Thank you again for your help!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Glad it worked out. Happy hatch

LofMc