Staggered hatch, when to intervene

[bhawk-23]

Hello, I have a broody on a nest. The first set of eggs were placed on a Saturday morning and yesterday would be day 21. The second set (Silkies and Seramas so smaller eggs) were placed the following Monday morning (48 hrs after first) and tomorrow is 21 days. The first set decided to hatch on day 20. Mama has been sitting since Wednesday night now. Today she is restless for the first time. We have a camera and can see she had gotten up about 11:30 am today, then sat again until I went to check on her about 2:30 pm (unaware she had gotten up earlier) to which she jumped up wanting out.

Question:

Are the unhatched eggs goners at this point? Should we set up a DIY incubator for the remaining 24 hrs? Is there a possibility she will accept them?

Can someone give some advise for an emergency incubator?

Thank you for any and ALL advice, experience, wisdom, support and ANYTHING you have to offer me right now!!!!

UPDATE: I went to check the eggs and she got mad and went back to sit on them. WTH??

 

[bhawk-23]

So when she was sitting on the eggs she really wasn't on the eggs but more so covering her chicks if that makes any sense. I decided to move them. I am using a box with a heating pad, waterproof rubber sheet, damp wash cloth and the cloth diapers which also fold over the eggs. I have a humidity thermometer inside of the box and hub's smoker and meat thermometers wrapped in by the eggs. Currently holding at 99-100 degrees and 70-75% humidity. I hear one peeping (my Serama!!) but that is it for now. I decided to keep the box inside the coop so the eggs and mama can still hear each other. Not sure it will help but I really want her to accept these chicks if they hatch.

Fingers crossed we can save a few because DS really wanted to hatch some Silkies, which is the reason I am in this mess

 

[bhawk-23]

So for anyone who may come across this thread in a search here was my outcome and some words of wisdom.
Started with 19 eggs total, 7 full sized, 8 bantams and 4 Seramas.
The full sized eggs and 2 bantams were set 48 hours earlier than the Silkies and Seramas.
Lost some eggs along the way to end up with 13 total nearing hatch dates.
Four eggs hatched on day 19/20 under broody and are doing great.
Mama hen waited 48 hours and then got antsy left the 9 abandoned eggs.
Six out of the 9 abandoned eggs hatched with five needing assistance.

Words of wisdom (ahem, lessons learned).

Don't count on every hen being as great as the first hen! Just because one hen sat 4 days on eggs that were not viable, yet still waiting patiently and refusing to allow you to move her does NOT mean the next broody will too.
Do not stagger eggs!!
If you do stagger eggs, have an incubator and brooder box ready at a minutes notice.
But, once again, refrain from a staggered set!

There you have it. Good luck to the next new-ish broody mom who decides "48 hours will be just fine, right?"! Hahahahaha

 

[sarahere4u]

So for anyone who may come across this thread in a search here was my outcome and some words of wisdom.
Started with 19 eggs total, 7 full sized, 8 bantams and 4 Seramas.
The full sized eggs and 2 bantams were set 48 hours earlier than the Silkies and Seramas.
Lost some eggs along the way to end up with 13 total nearing hatch dates.
Four eggs hatched on day 19/20 under broody and are doing great.
Mama hen waited 48 hours and then got antsy left the 9 abandoned eggs.
Six out of the 9 abandoned eggs hatched with five needing assistance.

Words of wisdom (ahem, lessons learned).

Don't count on every hen being as great as the first hen! Just because one hen sat 4 days on eggs that were not viable, yet still waiting patiently and refusing to allow you to move her does NOT mean the next broody will too.
Do not stagger eggs!!
If you do stagger eggs, have an incubator and brooder box ready at a minutes notice.
But, once again, refrain from a staggered set!

There you have it. Good luck to the next new-ish broody mom who decides "48 hours will be just fine, right?"! Hahahahaha

I learned a couple lessons along these lines as well. I had a broody hen for the first time last year and she hatched 5 out of 12 eggs, she waited in the nest box about two days before hopping down with her 5 chicks... I candled the abandoned 7 eggs assuming they were dead bc surely she wouldn't just leave them otherwise, and omg couldn't believe they were all still moving inside! Aah I nearly panicked and didn't have a clue what to do, but thankfully I did have a home-made styrofoam incubator( I didn't expect to have any broody hens and was desperate to have little chicks running around) and I put them all in that and prayed. I think maybe 5 of the 7 hatched, one was assisted, and they were all staggered too. That was when I learned that even though a broody is sitting on the nest, the other ladies will still barge up in there and continue laying their eggs. Apparently there was no appeal to the other 5 nestboxes right beside hers... So now I mark the eggs when one of my gals go broody and have to remove at least one egg daily

 

[bhawk-23]

@sarahere4u

All the girls all wanted to lay in her nest so I moved her to a completely different location of nest boxes that were not being used, for a long time. But wouldn't you know, they all moved to those ones when she did Fortunately, not on hers anymore though.

All the ladies did not dare go near first broody's nest. She has hatched twice now and is just a super mum!! We'll see how this broody does but I may only let Orpy hatch in the future. She has proven to be a fierce and loyal defender of her nest and chicks. And we have not had to do anything to assist except making sure she is caring for herself regularly. She means more to me than eggs so I am all over that. lol

Hopefully other's can learn from our lessons.

 

[sarahere4u]

@sarahere4u

All the girls all wanted to lay in her nest so I moved her to a completely different location of nest boxes that were not being used, for a long time. But wouldn't you know, they all moved to those ones when she did Fortunately, not on hers anymore though.

All the ladies did not dare go near first broody's nest. She has hatched twice now and is just a super mum!! We'll see how this broody does but I may only let Orpy hatch in the future. She has proven to be a fierce and loyal defender of her nest and chicks. And we have not had to do anything to assist except making sure she is caring for herself regularly. She means more to me than eggs so I am all over that. lol

Hopefully other's can learn from our lessons.

Lol sounds like you got some awesome gals! I have always been an animal lover and had animals all around me growing up, but got my first chickens a couple months before Covid blew up. And idk if it was because of the lockdown and extra time at home or not, but I have never in my life been so passionate about a type of animal as I am with my chickens... I'm obsessed with them and the joy they give me is almost overwhelming... Lol not meaning to get sappy, but I just can't get enough of them.. And it sucks when things go wrong, but I've learned so much because of the experiences. I've been all over this website and have read so many posts/articles of what to do when I have a problem but sometimes get confused with ppl's different and conflicting opinions. But love chatting with other chicken lovers on here, ppl around me in person just don't want to listen to my ramblings. Best wishes to you and your flock!