My hen abandoned her eggs. Why did she do it and what should I do?

There could be a lot of factors at play- not all of the eggs may have been fertilized, they could have been cracked or broken while being sat on, or there may have been a genetic issue that kept the eggs from developing. It's very common and normal to not have all eggs from a clutch hatch and produce chicks. If you are consistently having issues, or the hen seems to have trouble properly laying, you can remove the eggs and incubate them yourself using an incubator that has a better chance of stable temperature and less breakage of eggs. Making sure you have a rooster that can cover all the hens, and that all hens are on a balanced layer diet can help ensure healthier, and better chances of fertile eggs as well.

If you just added in new birds it's likely stressing your hen a bit which can disrupt laying. I would give her at least a week or two before I worry about the fact that she is not laying eggs regularly. Making sure she is on a balanced layer feed along with being given plenty of fresh water and enough nesting space (usually 2-3 birds MAX per nest box) can also help ensure she feels comfortable enough to lay. Another possibility is that she is still laying but has moved her nest to somewhere else, especially if she is free-ranged. Searching for a hidden nest, and if found, keeping her cooped for a few days may help encourage her to begin using the nesting box again.

Thanks for your question, and it sounds like you have quite the situation going on. With that severe of a drop in egg production, I would be concerned about severe stress, nutritional deficiency, or some kind of an environmental issue. I would recommend evaluating the husbandry to see if everything is ideal. If you have had any changes in diet, with a focus on a lack of calcium, that can cause a drop in egg production for many birds. Also, if you have had any stressful events, that also can cause a short term drop in egg production. From what I can find, the stress pack should not be harmful to your chickens, but ensure that adding it to their routine doesn't cause them to not want to ingest the food/water that it is added to. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that the egg production starts to turn around very soon.

It's possible the eggs are not fertile which is why she has given up sitting on them, or they may be ready to hatch as two weeks from the last laid egg is about the right time for it. If she doesn't return to sitting on them you can use a bright light and hold up the eggs to them to see if you can see any development inside. if the eggs do hatch, having some baby bird food on hand to help assist with feeding is best as five babies is a lot for one mom to handle!

Thanks for reaching out about Ringo Starr. Laying imperfect eggs and sitting quietly could be a sign of egg binding or other reproductive diseases. If she is eating well and otherwise not looking in distress, then monitoring her is okay for a few days. Ensure her diet is adequate, to replace calcium that is being lost due to egg laying. If she continues to isolate herself or her signs of illness progress, an avian veterinarian examination should be scheduled. Good luck.

It is quite common for a broody hen to not eat. You may need to physically lift her off the eggs and place her in or near water and near food. She will likely eat, drink and defecate then quickly return to the nest and eggs.

If she will not care for the chick, you will need to care for it and feed it. If you have no experience hand raising chicks, contact a local breeder for advice. There are also plenty of informative videos on a number of video hosting sites. You can also get more information at the link below. http://www.angelfire.com/biz/puds1/handfeeding.html