Two clutches about to hatch and I need some help!

[junior67]

KoKoshka the big day came and went.. no peeping.. plus I had company show up on the big day that distracted me and somehow ( I have no idea how) one of the broody hens got outside of the broody area and I missed it .. so she was off her eggs for long enough for them to get cold. I was sooo upset.. She wanted to go back in an as I am trying to let them lead the way as Im not doing so well.. I figured I'd give them a few days.. In my ignorance a family member was trying to tell me my White Roo could be sterile.. I began to think about this and the only way to prove if that was tru was to open and egg. I tried candling with a bright flash light but could not see anything ( this was on my first set up attempt.) Desperate to find the way I decided I'd sacrafice and egg and stole one and opened it from the non stop broodies nest. It was definitely fertile and had lots of blood and a blackish sack... The debate of sterility was canceled. Now the first hen has been on the nest since May 26th and the second one since about June 3rd... I have no idea what I'm doing , what do do and I'd sure appreciate any kind of imput from anyone . I'm thinking I need to get back to go with choosing eggs setting up a nest and I think that one of my Buffs would oblige if I closed her in for a day... she had great interest before and these birds seem to have put in a lot of time already.. especially my darling little banty Brown and Black Poli girl.. she's been so dedicated. Thanks if you can educate me or point me in a direction where I can better educated myself. I'd bought a cd on how to set up a nest but my experience with that like I'd said due to the cold weather .. was a wash.. It's still pretty cool here... and then it will likely start to get hot fast as July is approaching. How long will chicks go broody in heat? Thanks for any help.. I just was dying to hear some peeping.. I'm lost.

how long were the eggs sitting there before they were sat on? Also were new ones being laid in the nest after the broody started to sit on them?

you don't want a staggered hatch (developing at different times) since a couple days after the first egg hatches the broody will get off the nest and leave the rest of the eggs. You also don't want old eggs under there as they may not develop. What you want to do is collect eggs every day and once you have a broody then take some of the fresh (laid with in a week or two) eggs and put them under her. mark those eggs and collect any new ones that are laid in the nest that aren't marked.

May 26 was 3 weeks and 4 days ago so the eggs should have fully developed chicks in them if they were sat on from that time on. The ones that were sat on from June 3 would be sat on for 2 weeks and 4 days so the chicks would be mostly developed. If you have eggs that only have veins and a small black spot then they sound like they are only a few days of being sat on. Depending on how long hte hen was off and how far in development the chicks should have been fine in the eggs. My hens at times would end up off for 2-4 hours (also in MA and recently hatched and hatched 5.5 weeks ago) and the chicks were fine. It can delay hatch if off too long but the few times mine were off that long didn't and actually both hatched them on day 20.

To candle eggs you need to be in a dark space (even under a blanket if you ahve to) shine the flashlight in the fat end (this should be where the air cell is) of the egg. Look up candling pics to see what it should look like at each stage. I can show you some at a few stages from mine.

 

[Beamerz]

Thank you so much for your excellent replies... This helps and I'm prone to want to start over but I had considered taking them both off of their nests at this point.. thinking that someone might hatch.. I really do not know how long the eggs were there before I discovered this "lost " hen sitting on them in a well hidden nest in my coop on May 23ish. I'm feeling like they have done their time.. any ideas on what you'd do? Will they abandon the nests at some point on their own? There are a lot of flies in the nest and I suspect there may be a broken egg or two in there. It was not smart to allow this nesting in a place that is accessible but very difficult for me to get to.. I have to crawl in on all 4's and I"m 74 so not ideal... I have not felt so "stupid" and inept in this magnitude for almost any time prior to now. It's a beautiful day.. I have to remember that life will go on... I know I've given it my best shot... Thanks so much!

 

[Beamerz]

how long were the eggs sitting there before they were sat on? Also were new ones being laid in the nest after the broody started to sit on them?

you don't want a staggered hatch (developing at different times) since a couple days after the first egg hatches the broody will get off the nest and leave the rest of the eggs. You also don't want old eggs under there as they may not develop. What you want to do is collect eggs every day and once you have a broody then take some of the fresh (laid with in a week or two) eggs and put them under her. mark those eggs and collect any new ones that are laid in the nest that aren't marked.

May 26 was 3 weeks and 4 days ago so the eggs should have fully developed chicks in them if they were sat on from that time on. The ones that were sat on from June 3 would be sat on for 2 weeks and 4 days so the chicks would be mostly developed. If you have eggs that only have veins and a small black spot then they sound like they are only a few days of being sat on. Depending on how long hte hen was off and how far in development the chicks should have been fine in the eggs. My hens at times would end up off for 2-4 hours (also in MA and recently hatched and hatched 5.5 weeks ago) and the chicks were fine. It can delay hatch if off too long but the few times mine were off that long didn't and actually both hatched them on day 20.

To candle eggs you need to be in a dark space (even under a blanket if you ahve to) shine the flashlight in the fat end (this should be where the air cell is) of the egg. Look up candling pics to see what it should look like at each stage. I can show you some at a few stages from mine.

Thank you so much.. This has given me clarity.. Starting over in one day and I think my Buff Orp will oblige. I will be more systematic this time and not depend soley on Nature.. Nature would be fine if I wasn't in the mix.. likely. I will look up the candling and give it a go. I really appreciate your knowledge , details and time.