Betty has been on the nest for about 2 and a half weeks so the chicks should be hatched about tuesday?
Thing is she would not be moved from the laying box - so all the time she has been there the other girls have been climbing over her and standing on her to lay! That was fine until the markings on the fertile eggs started to wear off. She started with 4 and now has 7 - so three are deffinately duds. This morning one of the eggs? She had 4 more under her - was broken and stank! I took warm water and cleaned all the eggs and changed the nest and she came and sat immediately ( this happened with her mother Bertha too! ) So she is back on the nest with the 7 eggs that are clearly marked now! The chicks will be born with a red nose! And the 4 new eggs that arrived are now in the kitchen. Though I don;t fancy eating them now? Horrible scrubbing decomp off eggs. so they will be binned I think! The others hens are now locked out of the coop and I am thinking to leave them out until next week. I think Amber is cracking the eggs and harrassing Betty - Gerty did this to Bertha her mum years ago so like history it is happening again! I worry about any chicks because Gerty always killed her babies so Amber is chucked out in the yard screeching! - So big thing now is what to do with Betty and the chicks and the others? I have a spare cage but Betty would not sit on her eggs in it. - Darn they are so awkward? It is only big enough for one bird not the other 6 hens I have? So Betty is in the Big house and the others are in the yard! UGH? I doubt if these eggs will actually be live anyhow but Betty thinks they are!
Oes ?
Any suggestions - and the roof next to the coop is comming off the house Monday morning! So workmen will be stomping through the place. UGH!
Thing is she would not be moved from the laying box - so all the time she has been there the other girls have been climbing over her and standing on her to lay! That was fine until the markings on the fertile eggs started to wear off. She started with 4 and now has 7 - so three are deffinately duds. This morning one of the eggs? She had 4 more under her - was broken and stank! I took warm water and cleaned all the eggs and changed the nest and she came and sat immediately ( this happened with her mother Bertha too! ) So she is back on the nest with the 7 eggs that are clearly marked now! The chicks will be born with a red nose! And the 4 new eggs that arrived are now in the kitchen. Though I don;t fancy eating them now? Horrible scrubbing decomp off eggs. so they will be binned I think! The others hens are now locked out of the coop and I am thinking to leave them out until next week. I think Amber is cracking the eggs and harrassing Betty - Gerty did this to Bertha her mum years ago so like history it is happening again! I worry about any chicks because Gerty always killed her babies so Amber is chucked out in the yard screeching! - So big thing now is what to do with Betty and the chicks and the others? I have a spare cage but Betty would not sit on her eggs in it. - Darn they are so awkward? It is only big enough for one bird not the other 6 hens I have? So Betty is in the Big house and the others are in the yard! UGH? I doubt if these eggs will actually be live anyhow but Betty thinks they are!
Oes ?
