Wow! Those eggs have seen some hard times. I hope they all hatch and you can name them Miracle, Lucky, Hope....etc.Ok, I know some of you are fretting about unplugged incubators so I'll let you know what happened here. I had a broody sitting in the main layer coop as I need more broody pens. She'd been sitting well then we had a huge thunderstorm come through unexpectedly and where she'd chosen to sit she wasn't undercover. (It's been baking hot here and since it was shady I'd left her sit there) Well she got drowned and her nest got wet so I hastely rigged up a roof for her and gave her new dry bedding. All was well. Next evening I check them and one of the other hens has kicked her out and scattered her eggs everywhere and had a dustbath in her new nest.Momma hen was busy rolling her eggs back into the nest and making angry clucks so I left her too it thinking she'd be back on shortly. Check next morning and she's off eating and most of the eggs are back where they should be. Since the broodies often get off to see if I've brought treats I don't worry about the ones in the nest but think the others will be gone now anyway as it had been cold overnight. I'd have rounded them up then but DH wanted to go shopping so that afternoon when I got back I check again in momma hen is walking around the coop showing no interest in her nest and her eggs have been kicked everywhere again!
Go in with a bucket to collect them thinging there is no way they will have survived a cold wet day out of the nest and while collecting them I accidentally broke one of the eggs and it had a live baby in it!
Very carefully rounded up the rest of the freezing cold, wet, muddy eggs up and raced in to candle them. After a quick rub over with a hot damp cloth I looked and had 8 with veins! Hastily moved them into the 'bator and crossed my fingers. Candled that night and 6 were still but two were waving at me!
Candled last night and all 8 were wiggling around in there!
So don't give up on chilled eggs! I have no idea if these chicks will hatch but they are looking good right now.
