Broody Hen Dilema

[oschard]

Hi everyone,

I really need some advice!

I have an orpington that went broody and so I got some hatching eggs to put under her (last year I put some duck eggs under her and she successfully hatched 4 ducklings).

My problem is it has now been 27 days since I put the eggs under her - she has been very loyal to the eggs - hardly leaving the nesting box at all. I am sure for the last 3 or 4 days I have been able to hear some very faint tapping coming from a few of the eggs - however I know that they should have hatched at about 21 days! Do I leave them a bit longer or is it impossible that they are now going to hatch - I would hate to take them away if there was still a chance as they would surely then die.

I have no idea what to do - any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Nicola

 

[tygrysek75]

This is a tough call to deal with,as she was seeting for a long time.I would candle the eggs to see if they had broken in to the air sack.You should able to see this.I suspect thet heve done it if you heard the voices you can make a little hole in the shells and live them alone to hatch by them self.The air sack has limited resources of air and if they do not break thru the shell they suffocate.If you cant see the beak but see the movment(shadow movement by that stage I would live them alone as they may not be ready yet.

 

[Chuck]

Have a go at candling them to see if there's movement. That should be step one.

 

[oschard]

Hi
Thanks for the advice - when I went out yesterday I found a shell with some cracks and a hole in it - there was nothing inside and no chick. I candled the other eggs as you suggested - all of them have that dark shadow and light semi circle at the end - however that moves as you turn the egg - plus it seems to be very liquidy. I couldn't see any definate shapes and now can't really hear anything.

Am I right in thinking that it is now unlikely that there are any living chicks in the eggs?
Nicola

 

[chrismahon]

It sounds to me that they are dead in the shell and have decomposed. The one with the hole in may have split and drained away. The humidity has been very high for the last few months and perhaps that has killed them as it does in incubators. If the air sac rises to the top whichever way the egg is standing the membrane has gone. It would normally remain at one end.