Our Blue Cochin bantam has been sitting on eggs. We figured they would hatch around the 10th. One was early, possibly she sat on it longer than we thought. It hatched on the 8th but died we think by her suffocating it trying to keep it under her waiting on the other eggs. It is now the 12th and so far nothing from the others. We candled and her other egg looks to be a dud. It is light not dark like a chick would be inside so we figure it wasn't fertile. The other egg which is an Ameraucana egg is dark like there would be a chick inside but so far no pecking, no cracks, no nothing. Possibly died? I know the sit time is 21 days give or take. When do we give up? When is it enough past 21 days that there is no hope for it? We don't want to remove it if there is a possiblity that it is good.
She also has another egg under her from another hen that layed an egg about a week ago that she pulled under her. So she has one that has another 2 weeks to go and when I candled it it appeared to be developing.
When do we give up?
well, if you think she would be a good mother, then you know SHE doesn't want to give up. so hang in there with her!
with them so spread out it coudlnt' hurt to have an incubator ready.
i keep food and water right by my broody hens. they have only hatched out one, which is always under them except when eating and drinking. having water where the chicks can reach it is vital. the second didn't make it, but no fault of theirs that i can tell.
so i locked all the other adult birds out until these ladies are through with business. and the way the eggs were laid haphazardly, that coudl be a while.... but they might get a little surprise one night. i plan to take the ones hathcing from the incubator ou to them...
If the Ameraucana egg does hatch we were going to take the polish egg out and put it under our other hen who has eggs just about on the same schedule. That way she wouldn't have to sit on it another two weeks and could attend to the hatched one.
My brother said that even though it has been under her more than 21 days that it may have not germinated right away. So hopefuly there is still hope. He suggested I take it and go to a quiet place and put it up to my ear and listen, he said sometimes you can hear them move.
can you candle it?
if she didn't kick them out yet id trust her instinks, i trust a momma over a bator any day. i have 3 silkie broodies on one nest with 9 eggs left. they have a heck of a speratic hatch going. 1 hatched about a week and a half ago, one did about 4 days ago and one today also. those little horders steal eggs from one another all the time so it is way speratic she started setting on one egg alone,lol. u may have the same thing going on.
my girls have always eventually kicked out ones not good soon as they notice it they roll them out the nest box and if u put it back in thinking another laid it they know and kick it right back out if it is that dud egg. as long as eggs don't smell let her set on them at least 5 days past due date they may just be late. mine on the other had i have to give 2 weeks, the snots put 3 nests together i counted the eggs and forgot to mark them like last year. for 2 weeks extras kept being added so i'm takeing the babies till they start hatching closer together so they don't abandone the nest. i keep kicking one broody it is to many in one box but she is not likeing me much for it,lol. she is still on air. last year i had 4 hens on 31 eggs in 2 nest boxes and a roo to boot guarding them,lol. they r relentless. silkies would hatch a door knob if u'd let them. r cochins just as bad? mine r not laying age yet i have bantam frizzled cochins and a pair of giant cochins.
Hmmm wonder if our little silkies will hatch a door knob, lol
We have 6 silkies but they are only about 9 weeks old now. Such little beauties though.
Not sure about Cochins laying habits. This is the first one we had that is old enough to sit.
She is so determined to sit on the eggs and hatch them.
TF, last time I candled the blue Ameraucana egg it was all dark so I assumed there was a chick in it. Just not sure if it is still alive.
I candled it again. The Ameraucana egg is dark except on one end it has a small air pocket. Really don't think it is living.
The polish egg that is about a week along had a dark spot and veins the other day when I candled it. When I candled it today I didn't see anything, it looked blank. So I turned it, still blank, I turned it again and there was the dark spot bigger than the other day and moving around, so I am guessing it is a good egg with a moving chick inside.