A wild chicken laid 12 eggs in my garden overnight.

[Thinking of raising chick]

Good afternoon, I live on the island of Barbados where there are many wild/street hens. Although we have discussed keeping chickens and ducks and have kept an area of our garden quite wild for it, we haven't got around to it yet, until it seems today. I awoke to find a wild hen nesting in a corner, I put her some food and water down nearby but left her well alone. She has since after making a racket left my yard leaving a whopping 12 eggs behind. Will she come back? Should I just leave them? It would be nice to have them hatch but a complete beginner I have no idea what to do for the best. Is it even normal for a hen to lay 12 eggs?
Thanks I'm advance for any help offered.

*Update the chicken has returned at 8 am today with a rooster. After announcing their arrival he has perched on the wall and is watching her on the nest. Eggciting stuff

 

[Thinking of raising chick]

Said eggs

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

It is impossible for a hen to lay 12 eggs in one day.....That nest of eggs has been there for at least 12 days....Broody hens do not lay eggs while broody, so the hen will not sit on them to hatch. The only way they will hatch at this point is for you to put them in an incubator. If you want chicks, then give it a go!

 

[Thinking of raising chick]

It is impossible for a hen to lay 12 eggs in one day.....That nest of eggs has been there for at least 12 days....Broody hens do not lay eggs while broody, so the hen will not sit on them to hatch. The only way they will hatch at this point is for you to put them in an incubator. If you want chicks, then give it a go!

Thanks for responding Tina. Am I right in thinking then that if they have already been there 12 days that they mother may indeed come back and if she does they should start hatching in around a week?

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

Another viewpoint is: the wild hen came back 12 days (at least) to lay those eggs. Leave the eggs alone. I bet she will return and so long as she is left alone, she will sit on the eggs.

I would put a container of water close-ish to the nest. If she is thirsty she can grab a sip and return quickly. I would NOT pile feed near the nest, as this is an invitation for predators to discover the hen. Be aware that the water might need to be dumped and refilled every couple of days to keep mosquitoes from breeding. Placing the water container in her line of sight will remind her it is available.

Broody hens can and do get off their nest and do chicken things for several minutes at a time. I think some have to go catch up on the gossip as well as drink, eat, and take a dust bath. If this hen isn’t done laying her eggs, she may only show up to drop off another until she decides she has enough.

At any rate, BackYardChickens is the place to get good advice for handling this whole situation. If you have any questions, just ask them here. Read about mother hens caring for babies and what humans can do to support her effort. There is a very good possibility that Wild Mama Hen will handle all the incubating and hatching for you!

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

The countdown to Hatch Day doesn’t start until Mama Hen sits on the eggs. That will be Day Zero. Around Day 18 Bantam eggs may begin to hatch. Most chicken breeds hatch at Day 21. Waterfowl tend to hatch at Day 28. Various situations can affect hatch time (too hot/too cold) so don’t give up hope on any eggs until several days “late”.

See? I learned most of these facts here. My first hatch via incubator in 2008 I was clueless. Day 22 I was ready to give up and unplug the heater. For some reason I delayed. Later that day I returned to the room to discover hatching babies! Most likely the heat was too low and humidity was wrong. Only five out of 24 hatched. That was my start in chicken keeping as an adult.

Go read!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi. If she is still laying eggs she has not started brooding them yet. There is no way of knowing how long those eggs have been there, or if indeed she is still laying an egg a day. At any rate, once she does start brooding - that is, when she sits on the eggs pretty much all day and night to keep them warm - it takes about 21 days for them to hatch. I guess you could count every day and see if she is adding to the brood. Good luck!

 

[Thinking of raising chick]

A local has just told me they are popular

Another viewpoint is: the wild hen came back 12 days (at least) to lay those eggs. Leave the eggs alone. I bet she will return and so long as she is left alone, she will sit on the eggs.

I would put a container of water close-ish to the nest. If she is thirsty she can grab a sip and return quickly. I would NOT pile feed near the nest, as this is an invitation for predators to discover the hen. Be aware that the water might need to be dumped and refilled every couple of days to keep mosquitoes from breeding. Placing the water container in her line of sight will remind her it is available.

Broody hens can and do get off their nest and do chicken things for several minutes at a time. I think some have to go catch up on the gossip as well as drink, eat, and take a dust bath. If this hen isn’t done laying her eggs, she may only show up to drop off another until she decides she has enough.

At any rate, BackYardChickens is the place to get good advice for handling this whole situation. If you have any questions, just ask them here. Read about mother hens caring for babies and what humans can do to support her effort. There is a very good possibility that Wild Mama Hen will handle all the incubating and hatching for you!

Thank you so much. She chose an area directly under our constantly open living room window and we are a very loud family of 5 so I'm hoping she will come back and wasn't scared off seeing me in the garden.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A local has just told me they are popular

Thank you so much. She chose an area directly under our constantly open living room window and we are a very loud family of 5 so I'm hoping she will come back and wasn't scared off seeing me in the garden.

Maybe your loud family keeps predators away!

 

[Thinking of raising chick]

Maybe your loud family keeps predators away!

Quite possibly, I have teenagers lol