What's typical success rate of eggs hatched by hen?

[ORCatnChickenMom]

Have a broody Buff Orp that I could not convince to go back to laying so I bought a dozen eggs from a local egg seller who has a rooster. The dozen wouldn't fit under Ms. Broody Betty, so I stuck 8 under her. Well, in the first weeks 3 eggs were lost to breakage; 5 remained under her. By Day 21 there was NO action. So I waited and read many of the insightful comments and input provided by other tenders of chickens on this website -- thanks for sharing your experiences. So I waited. By Day 24 one egg pipped and the chick finally emerged by Day 26 (seems a long time). I was overjoyed and went out to buy chick starter and a single Wyandotte chick to keep the new hatchling company (since the other eggs looked dead, which I later confirmed and they were all yolk, no partial chicks). Upon arriving home I was shocked to find the chick wasn't under Betty in the coop, but lying in the dirt in the pen. It looked like it had been disemboweled, but then I noticed the yellow yolk and blood and wondered if it was un-absorbed egg sack. Well, MANY THANKS again to ALL you members who take time to post so many informational posts and photos about un-absorbed eggs sacks, late term pipping, etc.; you helped me with this experience. So, now I'm curious what the average percentage of success is with eggs hatched under a hen vs. an incubator. Is it common that so many eggs aren't fertilized even with a rooster and is the un-absorbed egg sack a common deformity with chicks? The man who sold the chicks told me he had a Phoenix rooster and Wyandotte hens; is it more difficult for mixed species to have successful hatchlings? Unfortunately my attempts to clean and keep the chick warm didn't help and the chick passed on this morning. I have so many questions about raising chicks from eggs.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

All things being equal, a hen usually has a much higher success rate than most incubators.
The problems could have been many. One is that the eggs were old. That's often the reason eggs hatch late or don't develop under ideal incubation conditions (broody hen).
Other possibilities are improper storage, old or very young breeders, improper breeder nutrition, too many hens per rooster, breeder disease, inbreeding, etc., to name a few.

 

[Brahmachicken240]

All things being equal, a hen usually has a much higher success rate than most incubators.
The problems could have been many. One is that the eggs were old. That's often the reason eggs hatch late or don't develop under ideal incubation conditions (broody hen).
Other possibilities are improper storage, old or very young breeders, improper breeder nutrition, too many hens per rooster, breeder disease, inbreeding, etc., to name a few.

X2

Just had 11/12 Brahma eggs hatch under a broody hen yesterday!

The egg that did not hatch didn’t look to have been fertile.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

A good broody hen - who can cover all the eggs given to her and is given fresh, fertile, clean eggs, and is allowed to sit 21 days without being disturbed too much by other hens - should have a 100% success rate.

That being said, often all these conditions are not met.
Sometimes a broody isn't so good at her job and crushes eggs or stays off the nest too long or injures hatchlings. Very often eggs are imperfect - old, not fertilised, not stored properly before setting, cracked, soiled, from unhealthy hens etc. Occasionally the nest isn't right - not enough bedding, or too cramped, too dirty, contains parasites, or shared by too many hens etc.

My good broodies usually hatch 100% of their own eggs. I have a small flock of 6 hens and one rooster who I know does his job well. Shipped eggs, however, are another story.

 

[ORCatnChickenMom]

X2

Just had 11/12 Brahma eggs hatch under a broody hen yesterday!
View attachment 1774065

The egg that did not hatch didn’t look to have been fertile.

Thanks for the information. What a bunch of beautiful babies you have there. Your comments about the source of the eggs may be correct -- the guy said he had 50 chickens and 1 rooster and the eggs were covered in "muck" when I got them. I was surprised because when I collect my eggs they are clean and only need a little wipe-down. I can't vouch for the source, but your may be right about that. Thanks so much for the comments.

 

[ORCatnChickenMom]

A good broody hen - who can cover all the eggs given to her and is given fresh, fertile, clean eggs, and is allowed to sit 21 days without being disturbed too much by other hens - should have a 100% success rate.

That being said, often all these conditions are not met.
Sometimes a broody isn't so good at her job and crushes eggs or stays off the nest too long or injures hatchlings. Very often eggs are imperfect - old, not fertilised, not stored properly before setting, cracked, soiled, from unhealthy hens etc. Occasionally the nest isn't right - not enough bedding, or too cramped, too dirty, contains parasites, or shared by too many hens etc.

My good broodies usually hatch 100% of their own eggs. I have a small flock of 6 hens and one rooster who I know does his job well. Shipped eggs, however, are another story.

Thanks for the reply. Another person posted similar reasons and I think you are both correct. The eggs I purchased, when I got them home, were covered in "muck" -- I was surprised because I keep my coop clean and when my four hens lay an egg they look like they've come straight from the carton, except for a few specks of pine shavings. So I figured the guy's pen must not have been cleaned for ages to make the eggs that dirty. I didn't see the flock only the eggs he sold to me. In my amateur judgement I think my Broody Momma Betty was an upstanding brooder hen; she was so protective of the eggs and I had to lift her out once or twice a day to make sure she ate and drank water and stretched her legs otherwise she would never have left the nest. Thanks so much for the input and comments.

 

[ORCatnChickenMom]

X2

Just had 11/12 Brahma eggs hatch under a broody hen yesterday!
View attachment 1774065

The egg that did not hatch didn’t look to have been fertile.

Beautiful babies and mom. Congratulations!

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I just had a low hatch from two broodies... I had mostly clear eggs... a few quitters.. and the ones that did hatch were early and spaced over several days.

These were the issues I think were at play for me

• Infertile eggs... I gave a dozen to another BYCer who report much the same... it seems maybe the fluffy feathers of my Faverolles were getting in the way? The ones that hatched all came from an Ameraucana hen... all covered by the same rooster
• Cramped nest boxes, and shallow nests... in hindsight I think they were not getting a good “bowl” of a nest and were having issues covering the eggs consistently
• Other hens laying in the broody nests... this started about half way through if I recall... and the jostling might have killed some eggs

Not sure if any of that applies, but I think this contributed to my low hatch

 

[ORCatnChickenMom]

I just had a low hatch from two broodies... I had mostly clear eggs... a few quitters.. and the ones that did hatch were early and spaced over several days.

These were the issues I think were at play for me

• Infertile eggs... I gave a dozen to another BYCer who report much the same... it seems maybe the fluffy feathers of my Faverolles were getting in the way? The ones that hatched all came from an Ameraucana hen... all covered by the same rooster
• Cramped nest boxes, and shallow nests... in hindsight I think they were not getting a good “bowl” of a nest and were having issues covering the eggs consistently
• Other hens laying in the broody nests... this started about half way through if I recall... and the jostling might have killed some eggs

Not sure if any of that applies, but I think this contributed to my low hatch

Hmm, some of the other hens did squeeze in beside the brooder to lay their eggs. Will note to make sure a brooding chicken is kept separate when sitting on eggs. Thank you.