1st time hatching....TODAY OR TOMMORROW should be the day....HELP! Never done this before!

[countrycakelady]

Okay, a few weeks ago,I posted about a broody hen, we got her 8 eggs, and she was doing well.....this past week, discovered a snake in the hen house, he had obviously helped himself to eggs...we have 3 left.......she has been sitting faithfully on them....either today or tommorrow will be day 21.....I am a wreck....I don't know what to expect....any advice is appreciated......how many days can it take hatch out eggs? I hate to not know.....I have done so much reading...and still have to much to learn....

 

[bobbi-j]

The best thing to do is leave the broody alone and let her do her job. She'll sit on the nest for a day or so after they hatch, just to make sure everyone is done hatching. Then she will take the chicks off the nest, take them to food and water and teach them to eat and drink. She'll keep them warm, they'll run around, mine pretty much ignores the food container I have out and spends a lot of time scratching and digging in the straw, showing the chicks how to hunt and peck. It's not necessary to go out and keep checking on the mama. I will go out and listen - you can hear them peeping after they've hatched. Sometimes one will peek out from under the mother's feathers. On day 22, I will lift up the hen and see how many unhatched eggs are left. If there is no sign of the egg hatching, I will take hen and chicks off the nest and remove the eggs.

 

[countrycakelady]

Thank you so much bobbi-j! I did collect eggs this am...and checked to make sure she had access to food and water...she was sitting quite happily. I really hope she can have at least 2 babies..she is wanting to become a Mama so badly....... :/ I won't check on her again until tommorrow am when I collect eggs again.