nkiwndrmom
In the Brooder
- May 7, 2016
- 40
- 3
- 49
Hello I have 16 hens and 1 rooster who all live happily in their coop and run at night but free range in a safe fenced in area during the day. I average 9 beautiful delicious eggs a day and up until now I've never had any issues or problems. The girls have always used their nesting boxes and I have never found an egg laid outside of the coop........until last night. The grandparents are visiting from Colorado and along with my 11 year old they spotted a nest of 11 clean, pretty little eggs all perfectly nestled way far back underneath a big shrub area of wildlife blackberries! Today I plan on watching to see if I can catch the sneaky lady but when I figure out who it is what do I do? I have never had a hen take off and they all get locked up every night. So do I destroy the nest and what to do with the eggs? Throw them, dunk them and see if they are fresh or move them somewhere safe with mama and let her do her thing? I've only had my kids for 6 months so this is all new to me! I am an absolute forever chicken owner because this small 4-H project has turned into so much more than I ever expected! I planned on in the spring time letting a hen sit to see if we can get chics but it's almost winter and I worry that it's the wrong time. I'm so lost as to my next move here! Please help! When the sun comes up I'll get a picture of the secret nest.