[cambee]

Hi although we have kept chickens for a while we are new to egg hatching! Our blue silkie has already successfully hatched 2 chicks from 2 fertilised eggs that we put under her as an experiment from our main laying flock when she went broody. 4 weeks ago she went broody again and so this time I put 6 eggs under her. The eggs were all from our mainly hybrid hens fertilised by our Wyandotte cockerel and had all been laid on the same day. The silkie rejected one egg (infertile?) but sat on the others and the chicks we estimated were due last Friday. We were out all day Friday but came home to 2 chicks out of the nest with their mum. The other 3 eggs were in the nest and did feel cold but eventually she went to sit back on them. She was on and off the nest with her chicks over the weekend. I left the eggs but nothing happened and it became apparent eventually that she wasn't sitting anymore. I removed the eggs and out of curiousity opened them. They all had fully formed dead chicks in them. My question is, is this normal with a broody? Why would she abandon eggs that likely or not would have hatched in a day or so? Would like to hear your experiences and advice as to whether we could have done anything to prevent this happening. Thanks

[harmony]

She may of got off the nest early or more likely the other three, for whatever reason, weren't going to hatch so she left them.

[Possum]

My goldtops did the same thing when they were faced with six eggs for the first time. My impression was that they were so distracted when the first chicks started running around that they were no longer interested in the eggs left in the nest. One of them has now has a second brood and quite happily waited for them all to hatch before she left the nest. It might just be a matter of experience.

[Marches Farmer]

If the hatching period is protracted the hen will often concentrate on the ones that have hatched.  There are many reasons for late death in shell.  Generally speaking if the hatch takes longer than around 36 hours the later ones probably weren't viable anyway.