- Jan 16, 2015
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My 18-month-old Cochin hen went broody for the first time. She appeared absolutely committed, and was fiercely determined to nest in a corner of the coop. I finally left her alone and gave her some fertile eggs in the middle of the night which she adopted. For a few days, she slept on the eggs, and only left them once a day to eat and drink. The other birds didn’t bother her, but today she suddenly abandoned her eight eggs with no warning, and returned to the flock. Tonight I found her roosting on the perches with the other hens. I gathered up her abandoned eggs and put them in the incubator. Do the eggs still have a chance? And why did she give up?