one of my hens was sitting on a nest i wasn't going to let her set but she just seemed so determined. i had to move her and her nest. then she abandoned the eggs. it may have been a couple of days but i found her sitting on them again. can i candle these eggs to see if they are still viable. never done this before, what should i look for if eggs are dead?
don't want her sitting on a bunch of dead or rotting eggs. i have heard of looking for webs inside the eggs like veins. but a big black spot or a ring is a bad egg?
steer me in the right direction.
hen abandoned nest then sat again, eggs dead?
i really dont' know. but she will figure it out if they are bad eggs. i would say if you disturb her or the eggs, she will abandon them again, so leave her be...
hopefully you will get some advice from experience, i am just guessing here...
You really didn't want her setting anyway so just remove the eggs.
Hens know if the eggs are bad and will toss them out (I found one on the floor of the coop myself this morning that I had marked) I would let her set and if they are bad she will either abandon them and go about her business, steal someone elses eggs and go broody, maybe lay her own and go broody. Anyways, I would let her be.
I have 5 broody silkies fighting for two nestboxes (there are plenty more those are the oldest and most well know) so usually their are 5 jammed in two nestboxes and tonight one of marans had taken over the lower box and their was 4!!! silkies jammed in one box! This proves when a hen go broody you should let her go broody! They are very determined!!
cuckoogirl
Apr 13, 2008
I have found my marked eggs pushed out into the middle of the coop also. I put them under another broody and it hatched. So i think some just dont know what they are doing. They are too hormonal LOL crazy chicks!!!!! You can candle them after 10 days and by then there should be obvious signs. Do it in the dark for best visibility.