More Chicken Help needed *quite Urgent*

[3Beasties]

Just been out to check on broody hen who has been sat on her eggs for 23 days, they still haven't hatch and she has now chucked them out if her nest.

She was sat on them over night but has been on and off them all day.

I am guessing this is not normal behaviour?!

What do I do?

Don't think we will be having any chicks......

 

[MrsMozart]

Um. Not an expert, but I'd reckon you'd need to keep them warm?

Good luck!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I think she is telling you they won't be hatching.

Do you have a cockerel in with your chooks?

 

[3Beasties]

[ QUOTE ]
I think she is telling you they won't be hatching.

Do you have a cockerel in with your chooks?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, we have 3 (unfortunately - Noisy buggers!)

 

[samstar]

Do you have a cockerel in with your chooks?


Pmsl....... I know someone who thought her chicken would have babies............... she forgot she had no cockerel anymore as it had died

 

[competitiondiva]

I'm not an expert but either it's a young hen and/or the eggs aren't fertile?????

 

[air78]

Ours have always sat tight for 21 days + but they are persistent broodies who will sit on nothing for weeks on end!

Has she sat consistantly during incubation? i.e only got off for an hour or so a day? If so you would have expected the eggs to have hatched by now....... maybe she knows that there is nothing in there.

nature is very clever.

Did you candle the eggs to check they were fertile?

 

[suffolkenpuzzled]

hello!
Hen's eggs usually take 19-21 days to hatch, I would think that they're overdue now and if she's chucked them out of her nest then I don't think they have much chance of hatching
If you want to see if they have chicks in hem hold a torch/candle underneath and you'll see the silouette through the shell. if they do I guess you could try keeping them warm for a few more days but toherwise I think its time to give up an try again I'm afraid

Hope that helps

 

[rara007]

That doesn't sound good. Are they eggs cheeping?

 

[Boxers]

Probably best to take the eggs away now and keep taking her eggs away so that she gets over her broodiness.

 

[Clodagh]

I'd take them away and put her in a 'sin bin' to cool off, unless you can find some day old chicks to give her, if she is still sitting tight.
(I've got some, if Essex is any good!)

 

[haycroft]

im not an expert in keeping chickens but i do have a few bantams one of them went broody and i had three lovely chicks approx ten weeks ago...also had a cockeral at the time
i would also if you could candle them..if you see a black mass and a little air sac at the pointy end there colud be a chick inside, alive or dead
i would give her a few more days or do you know anyone who has an incubator, or you could open one up and see if there is a live chick but ive never done this though

i had candled the eggs she was sitting on and two wern't fertilised
one of the eggs hatched 2/3 days later compared to the other two...this chick turn out to be a Roo(whos looking for a home)


good luck

 

[joeanne]

If she has chucked them out i would think thats not a good sign.
That said, only 1 of my eggs cheeped before hatching, and there was 48 hours between the first and last one, the first hatching at 21 days, the last on day 23.