Why are they not hatching?

[Bluesilkies]

I have an araucana sitting on a bunch of eggs in a hidden nest. She is about 4 years old, this is the first time she has gone broody. She started sitting on them on the 14th of Jan. they should have hatched by now but haven’t. I crawled in to check on them, looks like one tried to hatch but died part way.

In November the same thing happened. Another chicken sat on this chicken’s eggs and none but one hatched, then died. These are big nests, of up to 20 eggs (she is a master at hiding eggs). Why wouldn’t they be hatching? The other girls are having successful hatching so I don’t think it’s my rooster.

Anyone had a similar experience?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Have you candled the eggs? 20 eggs is far too many for her to cover and keep warm, & even if she somehow managed to cover them all, 20 eggs is also far too many for her to rotate/turn all eggs to enable the embryos to develop properly.

 

[Molpet]

Too many eggs. 12 is easy for a hen to cover. Some can cover 16 if they are bigger
They rotate the eggs so the outside eggs are rotated in. With that many eggs they are not all kept warm.

 

[Bluesilkies]

Have you candled the eggs? 20 eggs is far too many for her to cover and keep warm, & even if she somehow managed to cover them all, 20 eggs is also far too many for her to rotate/turn all eggs to enable the embryos to develop properly.

No I haven’t candled any of them. They are under the house, today was the first time I crawled all the way in to actually see the nest. It must be the best size that is the issue. The others definitely don’t sit on as many.

 

[Bluesilkies]

Too many eggs. 12 is easy for a hen to cover. Some can cover 16 if they are bigger
They rotate the eggs so the outside eggs are rotated in. With that many eggs they are not all kept warm.

That must be the problem then! Both nests were huge. If she goes broody again (and I find the eggs in time), I will remove half. I searched everywhere for this nest for weeks. When she went missing I thought something had taken her. A week later she popped up looking for food so I followed her back … to very, very under the house

 

[Molpet]

That must be the problem then! Both nests were huge. If she goes broody again (and I find the eggs in time), I will remove half. I searched everywhere for this nest for weeks. When she went missing I thought something had taken her. A week later she popped up looking for food so I followed her back … to very, very under the house

Yes I had several that show up with chicks and I thought I looked everywhere

 

[mcdze]

you got to watch trying to hatch eggs from older hens especially if theyre real snippy and dominant .. unless the rooster is really active alot of times he'll just be nailing the younger ones and they wont be very fertile ...

 

[Bluesilkies]

you got to watch trying to hatch eggs from older hens especially if theyre real snippy and dominant .. unless the rooster is really active alot of times he'll just be nailing the younger ones and they wont be very fertile ...

So far all of her eggs have been fertilised. He has a little group that he takes for a walk every day, she is included in that group. He is her son though so I’m not sure if I can keep her babies anyway, because he will try mate those. Not sure if that should be allowed or not