different ages of development please help!

miss2 · **Joined:** Mon Sep 03, 2012 3:50 pm **Posts:** 4

hi eveyone i need some advice please
i have a broody hen sitting on eggs. i didnt know she was sitting so im not sure how old the eggs are but from recent candeling and peoples opinions on the pics the guess is 16 ish days.

i did a quick candle tonight on a few of her eggs and have noticed that it looks like some of the eggs are at very different stages of development. some look super dark and covered with just the air sack visable, some are still veiny and although i can see the dark mass and movement they are not as 'full' as the others and some lookto have a small dark mass that moves with lots of veins but everything is still very visable compared to the first 2 lots.

im thinking another hen has laid whenshe has been having a toilet break?
at such a big age difference what will happen when the first 3 hatch and the others still have a while in development? will she stay sitting till they all hatch? if she does that can she look after the ones that have hatched?

should i take out the ones that hatch first and put them in the brooder and let her hatch the others, then put them back with her? will she do that?
will she continue to sit on the others if the first ones pop out?

im really sorry for all the questions im just really worried and unsure what to do.
:oops:

oh and i have simply copied and pasted this from another forum iam on as im looking for all the advice i can get

YellowHens · **Joined:** Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:19 pm **Posts:** 4

If she hatches out the first chicks and the other eggs have not hatched within 24 hours after that she will leave the eggs and take the chicks that have hatched away to feed. So you can try taking the first chicks away as soon as they hatch and see if she stays on the remaining eggs but very important you must take the chicks while they are still in the nest for this to work if the hen has left the nest with the chicks and you take the chicks away she will not go back to the eggs. Also if it works and you go to put the first chicks back with the hen make sure you do that just on dark when she has settled for the night and put the chicks under the hen towards her bum so they can get under easy

Good luck

miss2 · **Joined:** Mon Sep 03, 2012 3:50 pm **Posts:** 4

thanks yellowhens. im going to try this and try to get an incubator in time for just in case. lets just hope they dont hatch while im at work!

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

What type of incubator are you going to get miss2?

Fleur · **Joined:** Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:52 pm **Posts:** 24

I am notoriously hopeless at seperating broody hens from the rest of my flock therefore I always have this same problem. I just sneakily take the hatchlings after they have fluffed up and place them under a heatlamp until the rest are out. If the staggering is too far apart you may need to hand raise the earlier hatches as Mumma hen may not take them back after a few days. I have Silkies though who are very forgiving about chicks coming and going, not sure how other breeds would cope.

YellowHens · **Joined:** Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:19 pm **Posts:** 4

You can do that with most breeds but as long as the chicks are only 1 or 2 days apart

SheepFarm · **Joined:** Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:59 am **Posts:** 35

I agree at a push up to a few days at the very most

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