u/Internal-Union7316

My Silkie hen is on day 21 of brooding and I’m getting worried the eggs may have died after cooling down for too long.

Earlier this week I found her sitting on a fake/dummy egg instead of her real eggs. I’m not exactly sure how long the real eggs were left uncovered, but the eggs felt fairly cool when I noticed it. It definitely wasn’t half a day or anything like that, but I’m worried it may have been enough to stop development.
A few days before that (around day 15) I still saw movement while candling. Now on day 21 I see no movement at all. The eggs still look dark/filled during candling and don’t smell bad or leak, but there are:
no chirping sounds
no cracks/pips
no rocking eggs yet

My hen is still sitting tightly and acting broody/normal.
Do these eggs still look viable this late into incubation, or does it sound like they probably died after cooling off?
Would appreciate honest opinions from experienced breeders.

Hi all,

I’m on day 17 with my broody Silkie hen (first time hatching), and everything seems to be going well so far.
Right now she’s in my regular coop (first photo), where I’ve made a small separated area (second photo).

I also have a rabbit hutch (last two photo’s) that I could use to keep the hen and chicks separate after they hatch.

I’m not sure what’s best:
Should I just leave them in the coop?
Or move them to the rabbit hutch after hatching?
I want to keep them safe from the other chickens, but also give them enough space to move around.
Since these are Silkies, I’m also wondering if that changes anything in terms of what’s best.
Any advice (especially from people with Silkies) would be really appreciated!
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m kind of new to keeping chickens. A couple of months ago I bought three Silkies and I really love them.

Recently I got in contact with a breeder who gave me some hatching eggs, because one of my Silkies went broody.

I’m now at day 13, and this is what the eggs look like. The pictures were taken during the daytime, so it might be a bit harder to see.

Do you think these are still developing properly, or have they stopped?

Hi,

I’m kind of new to keeping chickens. A couple of months ago I bought three Silkies and I really love them.

Recently I got in contact with a breeder who gave me some hatching eggs, because one of my Silkies went broody.

I’m now at day 13, and this is what the eggs look like. The pictures were taken during the daytime, so it might be a bit harder to see.

Do you think these are still developing properly, or have they stopped?