Silkie hens sitting on eggs but chicks dying after pipping

SilkiesnFrizzle

Crowing
10 Years
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I just had 9 Silkie girls go broody, the problem is that I have 5 of the hens in a pile sitting on eggs. The first chicks started to hatch and a few died under the hens, a few are alive and thriving but I had to give them to my Showgirl to mother them, the 5 did not pay attention to them at all. Now I noticed that they have eggs that pipped and have about half the shell off under them but the chicks are not alive. Why might this be happening? Should I toss the rest of the eggs and try to break them? Should I candle the ones they are setting on to see how far they are developed?
 
How many eggs are they on, and were new eggs added a different times? If there were eggs added, they'll probably sit tight until those have hatched. *I* would try separating them from each other. Candle the eggs, and divide them between the hens, keeping them together based on development. You want the eggs that are close in development together to be in the same clutches.

Or, if you have an incubator, just take all of the eggs and break the broodies.
Either way, you'll need to remove the eggs that are dead. They're definitely not going to be good for the unhatched eggs.

Good luck.
 
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If the chicks are fathered by the same rooster, I would change the rooster. it could be genetic problem, unless you had previous successful hatching from him.
 

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