silkies hatching

[travelinman]

Hello all,
I have been raising chickens for about 2 yrs,but I have always ordered chicks in the mail or bought locally. Now I have a silkie hen(actually 3 hens) that I have allowed to set on her eggs. My question is how long will it take for all to hatch after the first one comes into the world?one hen is setting on 5 eggs,2 of which have hatched. Or when should I give up on the rest?
Thanks

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

Give them time, It may take as much as three days for the others. The mother should know when. Make sure you have food and water in close reach so mama hen doesnt leave the eggs while ther hatching.

Best of Luck

 

[skeeter9]

How exciting! Make sure you let us know the final outcome.

 

[swtangel321]

First....

I'm sure you will find lots of help and info on here.

I would give them another few days... Is there a way that another hen could of been laying in that box while she was sitting ? That has happend to me and cause some eggs to be later than others !!! Also mama hens usally start to take there chicks out to find food and water when they are about 3 days old.... Dont be surprised if she leaves the nest with the babies and leaves the eggs behind.... At that point I would candle the eggs and see if any are alive. Good luck !!!

 

[travelinman]

well 2 days later,after she spent an entire day out with the little ones foraging,she returned to the nest for a full day and hatched another. currently she has hatched 4 out of 5 of them at random times.only 1 to go and she is setting again

 

[cthrash1]

Pics please when they hatch!!!!

ETA: They wait is the hardest part...