Should I candle them?

[TinyRaptorDodos]

First time with a broody hen. Should I candle her eggs? Or leave them? She doesn’t mind me touching her or her eggs but I’m curious of if the eggs I got for her (my rooster might be sterile? I’ll attach a photo of the embryo I saw closest to a bullseye. But I’m getting a second rooster) she accepted those eggs after I took the infertile eggs that she kept trying to move and would leave two or three behind, I think they were too dirty and she didn’t like that. Will handling the eggs too much risk them dying or making Yeti dislike them? She hasn’t shifted her nest area or pushed any eggs out from under her yet thankfully. She only has five because she’s a silkie so quite small, still quite young. Oh and she’s inside because she took the favorite nesting box and wouldn’t move to the one they never used so the other hens kept trying to lay eggs on top of her… it was chaotic so I brought her in and she’s much more content.

 

[DobieLover]

Is she in a crate?
I would put her back out with the flock on the floor of the coop so they can see her brooding. It is important that she remain with the flock if you want her to be able to remain a member and be able to rear her chicks within the flock.
The yolk pictured does not look fertile to me.
I would candle her eggs after 7 days to ensure they are developing.
I go out after full dark wearing a head lamp, remove all eggs from under the hen and candle and tuck back under her one by one. If there are any that haven't developed or quit, I remove them.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

Is she in a crate?
I would put her back out with the flock on the floor of the coop so they can see her brooding. It is important that she remain with the flock if you want her to be able to remain a member and be able to rear her chicks within the flock.
The yolk pictured does not look fertile to me.
I would candle her eggs after 7 days to ensure they are developing.
I go out after full dark wearing a head lamp, remove all eggs from under the hen and candle and tuck back under her one by one. If there are any that haven't developed or quit, I remove them.

The other hens wouldn’t leave her be, they kept crowding on top of her to lay their eggs and trying to eat her eggs. My flock doesn’t have issues accepting hens let alone re-accepting (I know this from my old hen who was constantly inside for treatment) and I plan to sell the chicks. The chicks wouldn’t survive this time of year here if they were just out with the flock due to weather and them being in the coop most of the time

 

[Yardmom]

The hen would keep the chicks warm if they were outside. Some mark the hatching eggs and remove other daily. I use the create in the coop method. Others do take the hen to her own space as you have. It is fine to candle eggs under a broody hen.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

The hen would keep the chicks warm if they were outside. Some mark the hatching eggs and remove other daily. I use the create in the coop method. Others do take the hen to her own space as you have. It is fine to candle eggs under a broody hen.

We don’t have a big enough coop to put it in without the crate getting disgusting, do you wrap yours in anything? She keeps them warm indoors as well. Someone else I know that lives a block done from us had a hen hatch eggs but two of them froze and only one survived. The main issue is the chicks might get pecked too hard since they mostly stay in the coop due to the snow

 

[ChanP]

Anyway to add a pen where they can see each other during the day? That helps with integration.

 

[ChanP]

We made a quick wooden box of sorts for our broody hen. But it would have to be predator proof.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

Anyway to add a pen where they can see each other during the day? That helps with integration.

I was talking to my parents and we really don’t have much room in the coop for it at all might even be hard to fit it through the door, they free range as well and it’s Alaska weather so I can’t leave her outside of the coop either. The lady who had a hen hatch eggs also free ranged and the hen disappeared from the flock to the point where she was almost certain she got taken by a predator and then shower back up with her one surviving chick with no issues of being rejected by the flock. So will it be an issue? I got rid of any hens that are over-agressive I’m more just worried they won’t know not to peck the chicks too hard but Yeti is also VERY protective, it’s funny since she’s my smallest chicken

 

[ChanP]

I understand about keeping chicks separate until they can stand up for themselves. I'm not really sure what you can do then, unless you find some safe shelter for them at night.

Sorry I'm not much help

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

I understand about keeping chicks separate until they can stand up for themselves. I'm not really sure what you can do then, unless you find some safe shelter for them at night.

Sorry I'm not much help

You’re fine don’t worry. I think I’ll just have to keep Yeti inside until the chicks hatch then separate them (if she’ll let me) with the chicks indoors in a brooder until they’re sold. Thankfully Yeti is much higher in the pecking order so it should be no issue