[SuzyandtheBs]

Hello all,
I am hoping that someone could give me some advice. Last autumn I aquired a breeding trio of pekin bantams, I have put them with my 3 ex-bats and they all live happily together. One of my bantams went broody so I put 8 eggs under her( this looked like an amount she could quite happily cover) and put her in a broody box. I did not candle as I didn't really know what to look for, however after 21 days not one single egg has hatched I had a go at candling them on day 17 and think that some where infertile some died young and some(2) died late. She has been such a good sitter, so I think I must have done something wromg. has anyone got any ideas? so that It doesn't happen again.
Thank you

[joyfull]

you probably did nothing wrong. Did you remove the infertile eggs? Often hatching can take a couple of extra days - say upto 23 days in total. I never candle mine and just leave the broody to do the work.

[TeaPots]

Hi
welcome to the forum. The best I can offer is that it does show the importance of researching before starting out.  All I can think of is that maybe the eggs werent fresh enough? not enuff info for me to say really.
 

[SuzyandtheBs]

Thanks Guys,
Teapot I totally agree thought I had read up enough, but when it actually comes to it it made me realise how little I know.  If I get another chance with the otehr hen this year I am just going to leave her to it. I have cleared my Broodies nest today to start breaking her out of her broodiness and I felt so guilty. Poor little love did such a good job.

[camelliagirl]

As a newbie, just reading site to try to learn stuff - what is candling??

[SuzyandtheBs]

Hi there,
Candling is when you hold a bright light to an egg to see what's happening inside i.e. if it is has been fertilized or the embryo is growing etc.

Enjoy your chickens, I have kept chickens for years but this is my first time at trying to raise chicks and it is very nerve wraking

[SuzyandtheBs]

Lice!!!!! I can't believe it! i dust them religiously and checked her as she went broody, the box had been scrubbed clean but she has lice on her. She had not been over preening or anything. Might these little critters be the cause of the none hatching eggs?
also
she just laid an egg even though she is still obviously broody is this a sign that she is coming out of it?

[joyfull]

broodies are prone to getting lice, now as soon as mine go broody I treat them just in case (before I put the fertile eggs under her) and if she has just laid an egg then yes she is coming out of it although it does seem rather quick.