OK all, checking back in, LOL. Life has been quite busy. So we hit day 21 yesterday and within half an hour of it actually being a full 21 days, one in the incubator hatched. Another I saw pipped in the bator as well, but nothing recently. Not sure about the state of things out in the coop under broody. We've removed eggs regularly (and carefully/quickly), leaving the marked fertile ones under her. It's just difficult to reach all the way to the back of the coop's nesting box, with the cage in there around it. Decided to just leave a door to the cage ajar so she can get out and MAYBE deter others from coming in. Half-worked. She can get out, but everyone else can get in, as well.
Other hens keep intruding and laying on top of her - 4 of them. I haven't (re)moved any eggs since we went into lockdown in the bator on Friday, so broody hs gone from sitting on the 3 fertile eggs to probably 9 or 10 as of this morning. I can see her standing up frequently and moving eggs around, so I take that as a good sign. I think I will carefully remove some from underneath her today when I get home from work, and if I happen to pick up one of the marked eggs, look to see if there is any sign of pipping (maybe candle quickly). Nothing we've pulled out from under her has been cold, so she's keeping everything covered well.
Fortunately it's rainy today, so humidity is up.
I'm hoping to come home from work and find other(s) hatched or close to it, in the incubator... I get worried that the one in the bator knocking the other eggs around and cheeping is lonely, hah. Also hoping I can slip this one (and any others from the bator) underneath broody, and that the coop eggs are on the same hatch timetable as the bator eggs.
Whew! It was so cool watching that one hatch, with my daughter yesterday early evening
