broody hen!!

[LaSombra]

I had my blue orpington (Gilly) go broody just over a week ago so I let her have 2 eggs. She's only 6 months old and is my first broody! The chicks will be due probably on Christmas, if not the day after

I'm very excited!

This morning, she got off the nest, though, for more time than normal, and I was worried that maybe the eggs would get too cold in her absence. I put them in my sweatshirt pocket until she went back on and then slipped them back under her. I took that opportunity to go in the house and mark them so I'll know for sure which ones they are in case any of the other hens try laying on top of her (which has happened a couple times already). I hope the eggs were warm enough with me and that they're still growing well. I was careful not to jostle them around too much...

My boys are very excited *(egg-cited?) at possibly having christmas chicks... just that it's so cold out there right now... been in the teens and 20s lately, which is rare for western Washington.

 

[Megs]

still sitting tight!! yay, heres a pic, dont mind the no bedding in the nest box

they stopped laying so i cleaned it out and left it (had not had these birds through a winter yet and didnt think they would resume laying until spring, but the added light got them going again), i should go out and put some hay for her today!

 

[JestersEye]

My hen has been sitting on her eggs for two weeks now. I finally went out and candled them, and found that only two of the four seem to show any signs of development. They aren't nearly as far along as I expected them to be, though.

It's so hard to tell, but I see darkness and veining; so I'm hopeful that these two will make it. The other eggs were totally clear, so I took them out of the nest box, because I'd rather have her spend her energies on the two that still have a chance.

I also added a brooder light over her box, in case that might help her out. I'm really concerned that she will go through all this and still not end up with any chicks.

Would she eventually give up at some point, if the eggs never hatch? I really hope she hatches something for her efforts. I don't know why the other eggs didn't develop, since we have only three hens living freely with two roosters... You'd think fertility wouldn't be a problem!