Silkie mystery

[LizzieR361]

Please can someone provide me with some advice.

I bought very young silkies in August and didn't expect any brooding until the spring. A few weeks ago one of my silkies wasn't coming out and a scraped a nest on the floor of her hen house. When I lifted her she had 8 silkie eggs and 4 eggs from my older girls. I took the 4 out because my older girls think they are human and won't let the cockerel near but the others could have been from her or both of the silkie girls and could have been fertile. With the dark mornings and dark nights I didn't know exactly how long she had been sitting.

Well anyway, last weekend it fell to 3 degrees and then 1 degree and then dipped to minus 1 Celsius. The eggs were still lovely and warm (now 10 and one that had rolled out and I disposed of) but I was worried about her not getting enough to eat, the huge temperature drop when she left the nest to eat and the fact that the hen house is only about 2 inches off ground level so the cold could get in below.

I asked the local farm shop what to do. They said take her off the eggs and put her and them in a rabbit hutch under a heat lamp......... I wasn't keen as I thought she would abandon the eggs but they said she would be fine .................. after an hour she still hadn't sat on them and had scattered them all over the rabbit hutch messing about with the hay. I had to go away overnight with work and couldn't stand the little eggs being cold and scattered (I had candled them and seen at least 4 chicks). I put them in the incubator and left her with 3 unfertile eggs in the hope she would sit and I could pop the others back under her.

She didn't, now I have 9 eggs in an incubator, no idea how old they are but they are very full inside - dark with a largeish air space and a few visible veins. I think I saw one move but I just don't know. They should be about ready to hatch but none are showing any signs. I am only turning them once a day as if they are close to hatching I shouldnt be turning them but if they are further off hatching than I think then they are going to be deformed.

What do I do????????????????????

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=230

Hi
Glad you could join the flock! The above link is some candling pics that you should be able to compare your eggs too to at least have an estimate of the progress of them.
If you think they are least day 14 you will be fine to stop turning them now the chick should be developed enough at that point at not stick to the inside of the shell. I think from how I have read your post that other eggs could have been added to the nest after your little silkie started sitting? If this is the case you may have some hatch later than the others.

With how you have described the eggs being full and a good large airsac I would say that they are nearing hatch time. At this point or even when you see your first pip in the egg because you are unsure of exact dates you will need up the humidity.

Wishing you the very best of luck

 

[LizzieR361]

Thank you so much.

Ive got the humidity quite high already because I cant be sure how old they are.

I really hope they are ok but I'm just not convinced.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

With having eggs at different stages it really is a catch 22 situation with the humidity etc. It really is not as easy as setting eggs all at the same time. What will be will be and you have done all you can to give these eggs the best chance of survival.

Fingers crossed for you that you have some that hatch