My only silke hen layed 10 eggs for the first time, but she layed them in the dog's house. I made a nest for her in a box and moved the box to the chicken coop. I picked her up and put her on them in the chicken coop, but she didn't sit on them. She hasn't sat on them all day, so does that mean the eggs have died and I have screwed up by moving her eggs? If it's not too late to fix this mistake, what should I do? If it is too late, what I can do so I don't mess up next time? Thank you. I am a first time chicken owner and I can use any help I can get!
She needs privacy and security. When you move a nest it should be done in the dark and the hen left to settle down all night in the new location. You can also put the nest and hen in a dark place during the day such as basement, closet etc in the dark to settle them back down on the eggs. Dog crates work very well for moving broody hens and nests, because you can cover them and give the hen privacy. How many days had she been sitting? If it is early, one day is not a problem, if they were about to hatch, you could have shrink wrapped them and made it very hard to hatch.
When I moved mine we put her with her nest into a guinea pig cage and put her in the master bath with a sheet over the cage, lights off, doors shut. She settled after about one minute of protest. Best of luck!
Ah ha. Moving durring the dark or into the dark does sound like a good idea. I really upset her and the rooster when I did this during the day. She layed them sometime this week. I didn't notice her not walking the yard with Herman the rooster until just Thursday. That's when I found her in the dog house. I would be fine with her being in the dog house, but I was worried the goat or dog would break them the next time they look shelter in a rain storm. I want to the be the best mommy, so I just went out and bought an incubator from Tractor Supply. If she doesn't take to them over night in the chicken coop, I think I'm going to try to incubate them myself. The temperature has been 93 outside today, so hopefully they are ok. I probably should have just let nature take its course and let them be.
They should be ok. I hope you turned on your incubator to let it heat up and settle. The temp will fluctuate while the eggs are adjusting to the incubator temperature. Resist temptation to adjust the temp. After a few hours if you need to adjust it then do it but BARELY increase or decrease. The slightest movement of the thermostat can make a BIG difference in the temp. You can also adjust your temp and humidity to some extent by removing one or both of the plugs. I would fill the reservoirs in the bottom of the incubator too when you turn it on to let it stabilize. Just my opinion.
