I was bummed but, think I figured out the problem.

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

yeah, and they get the egg shells i cook up fed back to them too. i only have 1 hen that gives me eggs that can be fragile and i don't try to hatch her eggs.

 

[desertlady]

Do you give oyster shell for calcium? It makes the egg shell harder.

once in a while I do if my eggs gets too thin. But most laying mash have some calcium,

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Well the saga has come to an end....


2 momma hens, 2 chicks.


A LOT (LIKE 20) ROTTEN EGGS!

Yesterday when we got home, I went into the hen house expecting, hoping, wishing, that I would see just 1 more baby. But, it was not the sense of sight that was peaked, but the sense of smell. Under the hen in box #1, there was a half eaten egg, stinky, nasty mess. We tossed her out and I said, ok, we have to do something. We started, taking the eggs out and it was clear that they were rotten. Then the farmer hit one gently with the hand trowl he was using to clean things up and "POP!" made a loud popping noise and exploded. Oh yeah, about that pretty green color too!

Nasty!

We went down through and cleanned every one out. Tossed them outside and said, "better luck next time ladies!"

Our weather has been crazy the last month. A lot of rain, almost daily. I don't know if that had something to do with it. Clearly, they all were not fertile. Other than that, I can't even fathom what happened.

For us, we will chock it up to one of lifes mysteries and move on.

 

[canesisters]

That's how it goes, sorry. I started with 8 eggs, got 4 chicks. Even under 'perfect' conditions where someone is watching every moment in an incubator, most folks consider 50% a pretty good hatch.
Look on the bright side, with only 2 chicks to watch out for, they've got every opportunity to 'become all that they can be' - almost no competition for food, easy for the hens to keep track of and protect - and still have a buddy to play with.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

if you are ever in doubt and the hen lets you take the egg for a peek, do the smell test. if it smells rotten on the outside and too light to be full of a chick it has gone bad.