Should a murderous mother get a second chance?

[springchicken10]

Thank you. I really appreciate the information. The little chicken wire box for hen and chicks has a door to keep others out for feed time. I have chick starter, a finely ground mix just for chicks. About 9 days away now....say, one of the eggs candled soild opaque and another candled "black blob" that doesn't move or float to the top. What am I looking at? Didn't candle all of them.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Here's my 2¢, take it for what its worth

One of my BEST broodies didn't do such a great job on her first attempt. She ended up with one chick (from 8 eggs) after she squished/maimed the rest. I took that one chick away for fear that it would suffer the same fate as the others. A couple of months later, and she's at it again. I let her go for it, and she now has 8 beautiful chicks that she's taking excellent care of.
If I were in your position, I think I would give her a couple of the chicks after they've hatched. If she does well with them, give her the rest and leave her to it. If things seem sketchy, return them to the brooder. I've never had a hen that continued to kill clutch after clutch. Sure, I've had a few flub the first time, but they've all gone onto be wonderful mothers. My neighbor, on the other hand, went thru 5 heartbreaking clutches before she decided that her terrible broody was better fit for the stew pot (never seen one that bad). Just like people, not all mother hens are created equal. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: Hard to say without seeing them... Solid opaque could be a chick or a rapidly rotting egg. More likely to be a chick though. The black blob could also be a chick. I use an LED torch at night and check all the eggs in one go, it helps to have comparisons on hand. Best wishes with it. If you do have one of the random eggs that rots very quickly, you can smell it through the eggshell pretty fast. Also if it's gone bad it won't hold heat like a normal egg, it loses it very quickly and takes a longer time to warm up.

Quote: I make allowances for clumsiness, but not deliberate killing.

Some of my best hens have made a mistake with one chick or another. But with an intentional killer hen, there's no mercy from me.

Each to their own and best wishes to all. There is always the exception to the rule, but unfortunately it's often too costly in time, effort, finances, etc to 'work the kinks out' of a bent-brained hen or rooster. Or anything else.

 

[springchicken10]

Hi All, I bought some fertilized (we hoped) eggs and 5 out of 6 have hatched! They have a silkie for a mother and all are beautiful and getting along great with the other adult chickens, even the rooster. After 5 hatched the mom jumped off the rest of the eggs (some left by my own hens). I put her silkie adult daughter in there so she would hopefully brood them. She didn't so I went in there next day. I couldn't find the eggs so I suspected she had destroyed them. Instead she had hidden them under hay. I decided to take them into the house and try to incubate them for the last two-three days. I have heated water in a spaghetti pot (just a LITTLE warm) and covered the water with foil. On top of that is a small dish with the eggs. If they hatch they can't drown or reach the water. I will turn them today and tomorrow. After that I have to give up. What are your thoughts on this, anybody? Also, If a chip has come off an egg with a chick inside can it survive if its gestation is only one or two more days? That happened to one egg. THANKS!

 

[chooks4life]

I've never tried to artificially incubate eggs beyond holding a near-hatching one in my hands. Sounds risky the way you're doing it but I can't say for sure whether it is or isn't. Best wishes with that. About the chipped egg, it's impossible to say for sure as well.