hen kicking out/ breaking eggs any ideas why??

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hi,

i have a hen sitting on eggs. today i have found a broken egg in the nest and a whole egg cold outside the nest. i broke the cold one open and it was fertile with a chick about the right size for being under a week.
why would she break/ kick out an egg?

also i found a mouse/ small rat hole by the coop. could a mouse or rat have nicked the eggs or disturbed her?? she obviously has food and water in with her.

i have had a hen break eggs before but never a whole unbroken egg get kicked out. could she have kicked it out if it had stopped developing i have heard of this but never experienced it before.

the other 4 eggs are now sticky but hopefully they wil be ok. any ideas welcomed!
 
Rats will take eggs to eat, if your hen has been startled / frightened eggs will roll when in flight. Is your hen seperated from you other hens.
 
hi,

there is a small hole by the run which looks mouse size but i wouldnt rule out a very small rat. yes she is on her own, she is in the stable with the others but seperated in a broody coop with 2 meter run. she is in a dark corner with the door half shut. i have put poison down and covered the hole with a brick.
tonight i found she had kicked another egg out. i have put it back under but i imagine it will probably be back out in the morning. the broody coop she is in has a large nesting area so she can get up and move easily.
there is a possibility there may be a few not fertile as i had just swapped cockerels 4 days before although the cold one was fertile. its odd how the egg had got to where it was as it was about two feet from the nest outside in the run and had come over the bank of hay she has made the nest in and rolled out.
maybe mother knows best and it had died and gone cold under her.
just hope she keeps the others under her.
 
How many eggs has your broody got, I would also candle the eggs to see what fertility is like.
 
she started off with 6 and now has four. i candled they the other day and 3 were def fertile one maybe not. the light was a bit dodgey so it wasnt that easy. i will try to candle them again and see whats going on....
 
shes abandoned the whole clutch now, clearly lacking experience and too young to be a good mum! very naughty hen her embryo's dead :(
 
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