Backyard Poultry Forum

My hen has a large clutch of eggs (around 20 laid at different times) that she has been laying on for 25 days. Two chicks hatched on day 21 but the hen hasn't left the next box with them (only to poo).

I have put chicken starter and water in the nest box, which the chicks and hen have been eating (I haven't seen them drinking).

Should I remove the hen and two chicks and take the remaining eggs away?

I didn't mark the eggs with the date they were laid as I didn't want to disturb her (I only read about doing that after they had all be laid!)

Many thanks for any advice.

normally last eggs laid will hatch first .the older eggs take longer day 23 or 24 some times .
you can candle the rest of the eggs to see if they have chicks .
give her few extra days and see what happen .
good luck

Hi Jose

Thanks so much. Just to clarify are you saying the last eggs laid hatch first? Why? That seems counter intuitive.

Two more chicks hatched but the hen was not sitting on them and keeping them warm as she was off with the older two showing them how to feed. The two new chicks (5 days younger than their siblings) were chirping their little hearts out but the hen still didn't go to them and sit on them to keep them warm, one was quite weak looking so I ended up putting them under a heat plate in a chick raising creche.

Once they are stronger I will put them back with the hen and the other two chicks.

I removed all the other eggs from the hen as she had lost interest in sitting on them.