A
Anonymous
Guest
Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum and have tried to figure out why the eggs under my broody silkie didn't hatch. She went broody this September which seemed fine as it has been warm. I have her in a private dog house with a door equipped with wire meshing for ventilation. I bought special hygienic hay and made her a beautiful nest with fresh herbs from my garden. Her nest is clean, temperature seems fine and she is a good broody as she hates to leave her eggs for more than a few minutes. I have a rooster that is two years old and he is always on the job. lol...I candled the eggs halfway through and they were growing. After 24 days, I opened one egg to find green goo. The rest were the same so obviously they stopped growing. I have put new eggs under her that I know are from hens that the rooster is active with and are strong. I even misted the eggs the last few days. I just can't understand why I lost 6 eggs last try. Any advice will be helpful. I don't know who was more heartbroken, her or me.
I live in Italy and my neighbor said sometimes bacteria enters the egg. I just can't see how this is possible if the nest is so clean and isolated from the rest of the hens. She has never fowled the nest and always does her business outside in the coop when I let her out. She doesn't leave those eggs but for a few minutes. In fact, I have to take her to make sure she drinks water and sometimes give her treats from my hand while she sits to make sure she is getting the proper nutrition. I am completely confused as to why we lost the whole clutch. Thanks again! I look forward to hearing any words of widsom here so she can have some little chicks to take care of. I am prepared for when they hatch to move her and them to my heated bathroom if necessary as it is starting to get cooler. Moving her nest is not an option. I tried this last time as I wanted her to have a run. She squawked and rammed herself into the fence to get back to her little dog house. That was the only time she was off the nest for more than a few minutes. Perhaps they cooled? It was maybe an hour but a warm day.
I am new to the forum and have tried to figure out why the eggs under my broody silkie didn't hatch. She went broody this September which seemed fine as it has been warm. I have her in a private dog house with a door equipped with wire meshing for ventilation. I bought special hygienic hay and made her a beautiful nest with fresh herbs from my garden. Her nest is clean, temperature seems fine and she is a good broody as she hates to leave her eggs for more than a few minutes. I have a rooster that is two years old and he is always on the job. lol...I candled the eggs halfway through and they were growing. After 24 days, I opened one egg to find green goo. The rest were the same so obviously they stopped growing. I have put new eggs under her that I know are from hens that the rooster is active with and are strong. I even misted the eggs the last few days. I just can't understand why I lost 6 eggs last try. Any advice will be helpful. I don't know who was more heartbroken, her or me.
I live in Italy and my neighbor said sometimes bacteria enters the egg. I just can't see how this is possible if the nest is so clean and isolated from the rest of the hens. She has never fowled the nest and always does her business outside in the coop when I let her out. She doesn't leave those eggs but for a few minutes. In fact, I have to take her to make sure she drinks water and sometimes give her treats from my hand while she sits to make sure she is getting the proper nutrition. I am completely confused as to why we lost the whole clutch. Thanks again! I look forward to hearing any words of widsom here so she can have some little chicks to take care of. I am prepared for when they hatch to move her and them to my heated bathroom if necessary as it is starting to get cooler. Moving her nest is not an option. I tried this last time as I wanted her to have a run. She squawked and rammed herself into the fence to get back to her little dog house. That was the only time she was off the nest for more than a few minutes. Perhaps they cooled? It was maybe an hour but a warm day.
As podstable noted, you're unlikely to know what went wrong. There are so many factors involved that it's impossible to know. Sounds like you did everything right, although I think I would let her choose her own nest materials next time, perhaps if the herbs were beginning to compost they may have let off gases that harmed the embryos? But that is just a wild guess on my part. 