This is not going well so far :( 0/3 with our broody hen and at this point hoping for at least one l

[RBurwell]

So she's been sitting on 10 eggs (of her own collecting), and this is day 22. Yesterday evening we went out and there was a dead chick that it looks like she pushed out of the nest. I couldn't see anything wrong with it, took a picture of it just in case. We lifted her up to check and there was a crushed egg under her so we pulled that one. My husband gently put her on the edge of the nest and she bumbled into it, cracking one egg and potentially a few others :'( The chick in the egg that cracked was moving so we left that one be. This morning it looked like another dead chick was just outside her wing, but when I went back in to look again she seems to have pulled it back under. I can't hear any chirping or pipping (ok I thought I heard a peep earlier but didn't hear it again) At this point I'm terrified that they are all going to die for some reason!!! I thought this way would be more natural, that mama hen would know what to do! But from reading on here, it seems things can go very wrong this way as well

Fingers crossed.

 

[nchls school]

So she's been sitting on 10 eggs (of her own collecting), and this is day 22. Yesterday evening we went out and there was a dead chick that it looks like she pushed out of the nest. I couldn't see anything wrong with it, took a picture of it just in case. We lifted her up to check and there was a crushed egg under her so we pulled that one. My husband gently put her on the edge of the nest and she bumbled into it, cracking one egg and potentially a few others :'( The chick in the egg that cracked was moving so we left that one be. This morning it looked like another dead chick was just outside her wing, but when I went back in to look again she seems to have pulled it back under. I can't hear any chirping or pipping (ok I thought I heard a peep earlier but didn't hear it again) At this point I'm terrified that they are all going to die for some reason!!! I thought this way would be more natural, that mama hen would know what to do! But from reading on here, it seems things can go very wrong this way as well

Fingers crossed.

Yes, Things can go wrong with broody hens. But with most broodys, they do know what to do. What breed is she? Much of the problem seems to deal with breed. Some breeds like serama, silkies, and Japanese bantams the brooding instinct is strong. In other breeds the brooding instinct is weaker or not there at all

 

[RBurwell]

They are Chanteclers. I'm thinking that perhaps the nest she was on was too small

 

[nchls school]

They are Chanteclers. I'm thinking that perhaps the nest she was on was too small

I have no personal experience with this breed, but from what I've read, they are not known for being broody hens. Rather, they are known for egg laying. Egg production breeds do not have a broody instinct and, if they do, it is weak.

 

[tipsy terry]

I have let my bantom sit on 3 eggs, i numbered them so i would know which eggs i would let her sit on. At some point my cochan decided that she would sit on the eggs. At about 2 weeks one egg disappeared then within the last week the remaining 2 eggs disappeared. I kept checking last night and when I went out this morning the last egg was gone. There was no sign of egg or chick. I also dont know if any predator is getting into the hen house. I looked to see and there is no sign of a predator. I want to try again, but hate the disappointed results.

 

[RBurwell]

Yeah they are a Canadian heritage breed, bred for our cold winters up here. They are dual purpose but they are supposed to be a delayed broodiness. This hen was definitely broody!!!!!