What went wrong?

[jak2002003]

My broody Japanese bantam has sat on her 5 eggs really well, not leaving them for long and seemed a very good broody. BUT now it is nearly one month and the eggs have not hatched!

She is still brooding them. I think they will not hatch now as its been so long. So sad, and feel really deflated, I was so excited and counting the days till they hatched. It was to be my first time hatching chicks.

Anyone have any idea what went wrong? The weather has been fine. I thought maybe eggs infertile, but I have 2 roosters and they both mate with the hens. Also the eggs were all from different hens not just her. The eggs are clean and dry.

Should I throw the eggs away now? Will she eventually stop brooding them? Is there a chance they still might hatch? Anyway to tell if there are chicks inside them? Will they smell bad if they are rotten inside?

I am so sad!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Have you "candled" them? If they are over 25 days old I would remove them. You can candle them to see if they were not fertile. If a Chick had formed but died in the egg there could be so many reasons why. Could be something scared her off the nest after dark and she could not get back on till daylight which would have messed the eggs up. Check them, let us know what you find.

 

[jak2002003]

Yesterday I took the broody hen off the next and had a look at the eggs. I was surprised. They were not rotten or smelly, they had not started to develop at all.

The eggs were nearly hollow inside with the wrinkled remains of the yolk inside.

Don't know what went wrong, but I was so looking forward to my first chicks

. The hen seems glad to be off the nest box and has rejoined the rest of the flock, showing no signs of wanting to get back to her nest. Now I have no more broody hens, guess I will just have to wait.

 

[PD-Riverman]

It sounds like the eggs were not fertile. Good Luck in the future.

 

[Happy Chooks]

It sounds like the eggs were not fertile. Good Luck in the future.

x2