Will mom know when?

[warmwater]

Hi, my broody hen just hatched 5 chicks so far. 2 hatched day 20 (Sunday)-2 on day 21 and 1 today-day 22. She is still sitting on 2 other eggs. On day 15 I candled them and all 7 were good. My questions are....How long will she keep sitting on the 2 eggs? If she gets off the nest should I candle them to make sure they aren't just late arrivals? I don't want to lift her up to check and disturb her just in case. [My friend gave me the eggs (we don't have a rooster). They are so cute....don't really know what they'll look like when grown--all her hens are BO's...she has 4 roos...2 silkies...1 BO...1BR. LOL what a mix.]

 

[pixie74943]

Gonna start by flagging that all I know about incubating is what I've read on the forums, but..

General opinion seems to be, if she leaves the eggs she wont be coming back, so put them in an incubator. You might be able to sneak the chicks under her after they hatch (do it at night) but have the brooder ready just in case.

And as for how long she'll stay there

Shes a chicken, not a machine, she'll move when she feels like it.


Although, as a thought, chicks peep before they hatch, kinda to tell mummy they're coming. If she can hear them, maybe she'll stay till they hatch out.

 

[warmwater]

Thanks for the info...although I don't have an incubator. This is my first time hatching eggs...very stressful for (Harriet) and me. From now on I'll just buy the peeps at the feed store. If she does leave the nest to care for the other chicks and the eggs are still good WHAT do I do? I remember reading something on here about putting a wet towel on the eggs under a light....still I hope she does it all.

 

[Kev]

pixie gave good general info.

Normally, as in the average hen.. there are going to be exceptions.. a hen that has been setting for 21 days or longer will leave the nest "permanently" a day or two after the first chick(s) hatched. It does not matter nor does she know that the other eggs have babies in them- she WILL abandon "late" chicks in the process of hatching or just emerged but still too weak to keep up.. the first chicks act as a trigger to set the mothering instincts into motion and with that the hen becomes more active, wanting to move around and scratch a lot(but also hovering over the chicks a lot) and with this the setting instict dissipates pretty quickly. (this is also why eggs set for a hen to hatch and raise needs to be ALL set at the same time)

Your hen is an exception for setting beyond 2 days. The chicks need to eat and drink, best to remove mother and babies from the nest so the mother can set about taking care of the babies instead of sitting on the eggs. Bothering the hen to candle the two eggs will NOT make her abandon the babies. Might get her angry but that's about it.

 

[warmwater]

Yes, Harriet is very dedicated to her eggs. On the second day the first 2 chicks were hatched I've put mashed chick feed in a large ashtray and set it close to Harriet and she showed her babies how to eat and drink, so darn cute. Is that why she is still sitting on the eggs...because food and water are so close she can teach her chicks to eat/drink and not get up? Can she feel movement in the remaining 2 eggs? Also, I did put all the eggs in the nest at the same time. I blocked her off from the other hens the day I put the eggs under her so she would feel secure.

 

[tstoikes]

Callie my oldest hen was sitting on about 8 eggs or so. She hatched out 4 and left the nest. Two of the eggs had chicks scratching around in the shell. So I took those eggs and pushed them under another hen that was sitting. The next morning one of the 2 had hatched the other one died in the shell ( I probably should have monitored the situtation more closely) I took the new hatchling and put her back with Callie. After one very light poke Callie took her in and the little one is running around just fine.
BUT most of my mutt hens have silkie bloodlines which may be a factor in her taking the chick.
However my dad got 32 chicks from a hatchery last year at the end of the season. He started out wanting only 6 but they kept sticking more in the box. He had a New Hampshire red hen that had been sitting on what turned out to be sterile eggs for more than 21 days. He brought the chicks home put them in his barn and before he could hardly turned around the red hen swooped in and took all 32 of them. He only lost one from that bunch.
I've also had luck putting babies with my silkies even before they start laying. Real good maternal instinct. And surprisingly in my rooster as well he takes over the babies from momma especially after she weans them. He has even let babies (not even his own) roost under him at night.

 

[warmwater]

Thanks everyone for your reply's. When I went out to check on her and the chicks again at 10:00 a.m. she was off the nest. I got the eggs-put them to my ear and tapped on them with my nail....nothing, they were cold. I'm guessing when the hatched peeps would go under her maybe they pushed the eggs over and they got to cold. Still 5 out of 7 is wonderful!!! Harriet is a first time mom and she did a great job. The chicks are so cute, they come to me and I can pick them up. When Harriet was brooding...boy was she mean...now she is eating out of my hand again. When they get older I'll be posting pics so everyone can help me with sexing them. This site is great!!!