Hi
@Shadrach , before I answer your question directly, I want to say that your question points out how two letters/one word can completely change context and meaning.
Because I should have said "COULDN'T properly turn the eggs." Using "didn't" instead of "couldn't" implies the broody was somehow a defective mom, and I don't think that at all. On the contrary, she sounds like she was a very dedicated broody and will be a great mom. I would absolutely let her try again. But next time I would give her 7-9 eggs max and see if the eggs/embryos/chicks survive to hatch. See my reasoning below.
I based my thoughts off a past occurrence, as well as general egg incubation and development knowledge. Back in 2018, I had approx. 40ish broodies hatch approx. 400ish chicks. (Insane numbers I will never allow to happen again.) I was giving broodies 9-12 eggs each to incubate, and had a 90-95%% hatch rate. In the midst of this madness, I had a friend who's Buff Orp hen went broody. (First time mom.) My friend had no rooster but wanted her hen to hatch chicks, and so I sold her 4 dozen fertilized eggs that had all been laid within the past 48 hours. My friend regularly bought eating eggs from me too, and said she would select a dozen eggs to give to her broody, and her family would eat the rest. (All the eggs were extra-large in size, and a few were jumbo). 3-4 days later, my friend sent me a text that she had given her broody 16 eggs, and included a photo of her broody pancaked over them in a nest box. In her attempt to keep all the eggs covered, the broody's wings were also spread wide to the edges of the nest box. I thought that was too many eggs, but said nothing other than telling my friend to candle at 7 days. I can't remember everything that went wrong with that poor hen and those 16 eggs, but some details included 1) My friend would regularly see some eggs out from under the broody, and promptly tucked them back underneath. 2) At 7 days some eggs showed no development. 3) Some embryos died in the shell as the days passed, 4) the broody and my friend experienced the horror of a rotten egg exploding all over most of the remaining eggs, and 5) 2-3 chicks developed fully but didn't hatch. Longer story shorter, not one chick out of those 16 very fertile eggs hatched. Since I had so many chicks hatching during that time, I gave my friend 4 chicks that one of my broodies had just hatched, which made her mama hen very happy.
So no, I have no direct evidence of a broody ever failing to properly turn her eggs. On the contrary, if a broody has a manageable clutch (size-wise), I believe her natural instincts tell her exactly what to do. My comment was based on the thought that 12 eggs may have been too many for the broody to manage properly. I also think broodies instinctively know what size clutch they should set, but it often doesn't work out that way. Humans sometimes give broodies more than the optimal number of eggs; I too am guilty. But it's not just us humans that are at fault; a broody's hen friends adding their eggs to her clutch are often the worst culprits!
I based my comment on the info that
@AishlingS gave in their first post. I don't think my post is any more likely than reasons given by other members; I was simply adding another possible reason.
https://www.brinsea.com/t-turningeggs.aspx
OK
@Shadrach , back to you. I highly value your knowledge and wisdom, and if you disagree with my reasoning, it wont offend me at all.
she’s in with no ducks. She’s in with 3 other pekin hens and 1 fella. They all lay in the same nest but it’s only her that had the residue
