Advice for Broody Hens Waiting for Eggs to Hatch

Question:  Hello I am a hen who has been sitting on eggs for a number of days now, just wondering whey they will hatch. I am very concerned because I have heard all kinds of stories that hens eggs do not always hatch.

Signed Expectant Mother

Answer: Dear Expectant Mother

If everything goes well your eggs will hatch into chicks at about 20-21 days from the day you started to sit on them. It is true that there are some things that can go wrong, and sometimes eggs do not hatch, in fact it is very likely that not all your eggs will hatch.

Let us look at some of the reason eggs do not hatch.

If you do not have a rooster the eggs are not fertile and will not hatch. They will not hatch if you did not mate with him before laying the eggs.

Some of the eggs you may have laid first might have gotten cold and died before you started to sit on the clutch of eggs and acted broody.

Sometimes there are problems with bacteria, or cracked shells. If the eggs are not cared for correctly (brooded and turned) they will not hatch. However I do not want to alarm you, there is every reason to expect that the majority of your eggs will hatch just fine.

Tips on Hatching Chicken Eggs

Hens should be encouraged to use nesting boxes that are slightly raised off the ground, and lined in straw.

Hens will lay many eggs (often 1 a day) before sitting on the clutch of eggs. When they do sit on the eggs they are said to be “broody”. Eggs will generally hatch within hours of each other at about 20 – 21 days after being brooded. Typically not all the eggs will hatch and those still not hatched should be disposed of after a few days (the hen will not sit on them much more after the other chicks hatched).

Some people take eggs and raise them in an incubator, in this case it is important that the eggs are kept warm, and turned at least twice a day, up until a few days before hatching. Even after hatching, human raised chicks, must be kept warm. Those with a hen will run under her body for protection and warmth.

Chicks need chick starter ration to aid proper growth and development.

Links

Our Cochin Chicks

Why Won't My Chicken Eggs Hatch?

How Chicken Eggs are Formed

Help for Birds who Cannot Fly

Question:  Hello, I am a bird but for some reason I cannot fly. I know I should be able to fly, I see other birds flying, but I simply cannot fly. What is wrong with me, how can I fly?

Signed Flightless in Seattle

Dear Flightless

There are many reasons why a bird cannot fly, some birds are flightless naturally. Kiwis and penguins are two types of flightless birds, chickens are semi-flightless, they can fly but not for long and cannot get terribly high. You did not say what kind of bird you were, are you a chicken? Sometimes fowl are fed so much that they become too heavy to fly properly.

Other birds cannot fly if they are young, but eventually reach a point where their wings are strong enough to fly a short distance, and later they can fly farther. If you are young just keep flapping your wings to build muscles and one day your parent bird will encourage you to take flight or will leave you, forcing you to take flight and find your own food.

If you are a pet bird there are two other things that could hamper your ability to fly. Your owner may have clipped the flight feathers on your wings. Some people do this to stop birds from flying away. If done correct this is painless and you will grow flight feathers again (unless they are clipped).

photo source

The other thing that may happen to pet birds is that the cage itself does not provide enough room for flight, resulting in muscle atrophy. Basically your wing muscles are too weak for decent, prolonged, flight.  Many pet birds are kept in tall cages that offer very little flight room.  Most bird would be happier (and may even be healthier) in a large aviary, or if given time out of their cage for decent flight.

If you are feeling pain in either wing you could have sustained an injury which would leave you unable to fly.

Some wing injuries will heal on their own, some will not.  If you are a wild bird hopefully somebody will find you and take you to a wildlife rehabilitation center, if you are a pet bird hopefully your owner will take you to the veterinarian.

Another thought would be that perhaps you are moulting and have lost some of the flight feathers that you need, or that your feathers need to be preened better for flight.  Or you may even be a mutation that has feathers that are simply not practical for flying.

Further Reading for Bird Owners

Should I Clip my Bird's Wings

Learn more about How Birds Fly