UPDATED - Need some broody advice, oddly shaped air cells, chicks dead in shell?? Double Yolk Sugge

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

Was it this hen's first attempt at actually hatching eggs? If yes, she may not have rolled them properly. I would let her try again before writing her off.

I am about at that point.... she ( her name is Checkers) has set on multiple different batches of eggs. Some of which I think got eaten by a snake, some she has broke. She has spent a lot of time in a cage trying to break her broodiness too. She is persistent as all get out. The first time she hatched out just one chick and it died. The second time, she lost all of her eggs (I am assuming to a snake because one day I came out and they were ALL gone, few days later found a 5 foot chicken snake dead, hung up in the netting over an adjacent pen). I had another hen that was setting at the same time and had an egg that was somehow snuck in a few days later than the others and was the last to hatch, so I gave it to Checkers and she hatched and raised that little silkie baby and just recently abandoned him at about 6 weeks old to set again. This will be her third hatch. She is THE most determined broody I have ever seen, and she is a pretty good mom, but she just plain ol sucks at setting!! I don't know what it is with her, it is boggling my mind! Should I give her one more chance after this?? I did not anticipate having so many broodies (had chickens all my life and before now I have ever only had ONE hen go broody... JUST ONE!) but now I have a coop set up for them and there are 3 large cages in it where they lay and when one decides to go broody, i just shut her cage door and give her food and water. It keeps them from getting on the wrong nest and I no longer have to worry about moving them. When they decide to go broody they are already in a proper nesting space. I thought this time would be different, but I guess not. Could it be something with the broody herself? Like you said, not turning eggs, or could it be the eggs themselves? I only have about 6 hens that lay blue or green eggs, and that was all I gave the broodies this time. So all 3 of them have eggs laid by those same 6 hens. you would think 6/8 of Checkers' eggs having an issue would equal the other two broodies having issues too?? I have hatched out eggs from these same hens multiple times before, with 100% success rate each time. All eggs fertile, all eggs hatched no problem. All the chicks have been beautiful, healthy, with no problems. I just can't figure out what is going wrong. If it was in an incubator I feel like it would be easier to narrow down the problem, but under a broody I am at a loss!

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

Ok, Checkers wound up hatching out one baby...the other was peeping but had yet to pip friday morning, when I got home friday afternoon no sign of life. The next morning I cracked open the shell and the baby had broken into the air cell but never managed to get any further. Fully developed, yolk fully absorbed, beautiful perfect looking little baby. What causes chicks to die like that? Like I said, in an incubator I could understand me doing something wrong, but with a broody I never imagined I would have so many problems.

I have 2 other broodies, like I said, all on eggs from the same hens. One is hatching out 6 babies today, that have been fine the entire incubation, the other broody I have has some weird looking eggs with oddly shaped air cells. They are tiny and mis-shapen. What is the deal? Do some broodies just not know what they are doing?

 

[n8ivetxn]

I've never had a problem with broodies, wish I had one right now! However, regarding the broken eggs, she may not be doing that on purpose. It could be weak shells due to lack of calcium absorption - or, more likely, she tracked bacteria into the nest and the eggs died, rotted and exploded under her. I used to wonder why all those broke eggs....now I know that eggs are sensitive to bacterial infection and that causes eggsplotions...

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

I've never had a problem with broodies, wish I had one right now! However, regarding the broken eggs, she may not be doing that on purpose. It could be weak shells due to lack of calcium absorption - or, more likely, she tracked bacteria into the nest and the eggs died, rotted and exploded under her. I used to wonder why all those broke eggs....now I know that eggs are sensitive to bacterial infection and that causes eggsplotions...

Well I have 3 of them right now and I would certainly give you one if I could lol! LOL eggsplosions! Yes, we did have one of those this time but before she was just plain ol standing on top of the eggs and breaking them long before they could even have a chance to go bad! She is not very nimble like my other broodies. But as far as the others that just died a week before hatch and then right at hatch, it really makes me wonder. This is Checker's 3rd time to hatch out babies and every single time only one survives! I am just wondering what the possibilities are of her just being a horrible broody that is definitely not doing something right. She is a WONDERFUL mother, but when it comes to hatching eggs she is definitely scoring an F- right now!

I was really hoping someone else with broody experience could help me out. I'm serious, I cannot break her of her broodiness, I have tried and failed multiple times. She is persistent and drives me nuts. If she is no use to me as a broody and is going to do nothing but cause me headache, I am tempted to think she needs to go. I just dont know if I should write her off yet or not!

 

[n8ivetxn]

LOL, wow, that's interesting.... I wouldn't think she's the problem, something else has to be happening. ... Ok, let's think this out a bit...

(I just saw your tag line in the signature block, that is hilarious! LOL)

So we've established the fact that she is stepping on some eggs....

1. the hen is sitting
2. eggs are developing
3. eggs stop developing at day 14 or die prior to hatch
4. other broodies are successfully hatching same eggs

The only 2 things I can come up with: she isn't turning the eggs enough or at all, she's taking long breaks and letting the eggs cool too much.

The egg that you opened up, was the chick stuck to one side of the shell? You say it pipped, can't be a small air sac....Hmmm

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

LOL, wow, that's interesting.... I wouldn't think she's the problem, something else has to be happening. ... Ok, let's think this out a bit...

(I just saw your tag line in the signature block, that is hilarious! LOL)

So we've established the fact that she is stepping on some eggs....

1. the hen is sitting
2. eggs are developing
3. eggs stop developing at day 14 or die prior to hatch
4. other broodies are successfully hatching same eggs

The only 2 things I can come up with: she isn't turning the eggs enough or at all, she's taking long breaks and letting the eggs cool too much.

The egg that you opened up, was the chick stuck to one side of the shell? You say it pipped, can't be a small air sac....Hmmm

LOL my mom found some funny quotes and had me make her some signs and the being pecked to death by chickens was one that really stuck with me lol! IT IS SO TRUE!

The ones that I opened, no one was stuck to the side, the one that died before hatching but after breaking thru the air cell appeared to be 100% fine, turned the right way, no shrink wrapping, it just boggles my mind. I am gone most of the day at work, so i can't be 100% certain that she was not off for long periods of time, but when she DOES get up she always takes a poop, and always eats, this I know because I have seen her do it and I have seen the evidence she leaves behind lol. She is a very messy eater. She would go a couple of days without touching her food at times. It is a rare moment to catch her off that nest, so while I can't be 100% certain, I don't think that is the case, but very well could be. My dad lives with me and he is home most all the time, when I asked him and my BF if they had seen her off the nest during the day, they both said no. But like I said, I can't really rule that out.

Is there any possibility that she could just "run hot" or her temp be a few degrees higher than normal?! Could our heat be an issue? The one chick she DID manage to hatch was panting heavily while still in the shell. She had (of course) stepped on the shell after the baby began to hatch and most of the shell had fallen off and the baby was struggling, so I offered some assistance. He continued to pant (I know hatching is hard work but never seen one panting like this baby was) afterwards and as soon as he got mobile, he has been out and about, not up under her very often like they usually are. I just don't know if its because it has been so warm, or what. I noticed my other hen standing up over her nest in the heat of the day in more of a crouch or squat (not really making full contact with the eggs) because it was so hot. She would also take frequent breaks in the hottest part of the day, and ALL of her babies hatched totally fine!

Let me ask you this, because this has happened before with Checkers.... If a broody gets on the wrong nest and her eggs get cold in say, the first week of incubation, but the chicks are still alive and develop further, would that instance of the eggs getting cold in the beginning cause any problems towards the end of incubation? I just can't understand why all her babies were doing so great then they all died at about the same time, multiple times! I think after this I might give her a couple more tries and see what happens!

 

[n8ivetxn]

To answer your question, yes it would hurt the eggs if she had started sitting and then moved to another nest.... I've read that it (low temps) can cause deformities and death. I thought I saw that link somewhere on Sally Sunshine's "Hatching 101" page, but I can't be certain.

It sounds like she's done all the right things (except stepping on the eggs, LOL!). I guess it could be the heat, especially if the other broodies are hovering and not sitting on top of the eggs. But, you would think the heat would just speed up the hatching, not kill the eggs.

 

[CluckinOnTheYakus]

To answer your question, yes it would hurt the eggs if she had started sitting and then moved to another nest.... I've read that it (low temps) can cause deformities and death. I thought I saw that link somewhere on Sally Sunshine's "Hatching 101" page, but I can't be certain.

It sounds like she's done all the right things (except stepping on the eggs, LOL!). I guess it could be the heat, especially if the other broodies are hovering and not sitting on top of the eggs. But, you would think the heat would just speed up the hatching, not kill the eggs.

That is what I thought too, but you never know I am just grasping at straws right now. I will give her a few more times before I write her off I guess. Other than stepping on the eggs, she does seem to be a great mom!

 

[n8ivetxn]

This is a real head scratcher!

I like broodies, and I really enjoy watching them with their little chicks. I'd say give her another go and see what happens.