She is nesting on the floor of the coop she pulled all the shavings to a corner under the ramp to the nesting boxes. The fertile eggs are marked but she has at least a dozen unfertile eggs under her too. She carried the eggs from the nesting boxes down to her nest which I didn't know chickens could do. She is the dominate hen if that makes a difference.
That is why she needs to be moved to her own broody house, pen, cage. Their little brain is in Broody Mode, and they will take any egg they can find, to set on. And if she gets up for any reason, to eat, stretch her legs or take a poop. One of the other hens could come in, just to lay an egg, and if Broody Mama comes back, there will be a major uproar for that nest. If you leave her there until the eggs hatch, you could end up with dead chicks, from the other hens attacking them.
This is my Broody Mama's 3rd hatch in 3 years, none of the other eggs were hers the last two hatches. Our 4 roosters that we have, she hatched, and 1 hen. This year, 2 of the eggs are hers, 2 belong to the hen she hatched 3 years ago. and 2 are from 1 of our 6 Easter Eggers. I hope that 4 out of the 6 hatch. Also remember to remove any torpedo eggs, the embryo can not move around in a torpedo eggs, and will either die in the egg. If it does hatch, it could be deformed, because it could not turn in the egg.
Mine went broody on Sunday April 10th, waited 2 days, just to make sure she was truly broody. Bought a storage container, filled it with shavings, and went out after dark and moved her first, then the eggs 2 x 2, set them in front of her, and she tucked them underneath her. As she was tucking the front eggs, I was sliding the other eggs under her. She is happily sitting in my kitchen in her container, gets fresh water daily, and I refill her food when needed, but only at night.
This is her first time and she REALLY wants to sit. How long should I wait before I get more fertile eggs under her? Wait a week or a month or longer?
