This is my first go round with egg hatching, so I've been reading all of the posts and stickys but I haven't seen this problem addressed.
I have one rooster who is about a year old. 2 Buff Orpington's of undetermined age as I bought them after they starting laying. I have 2 RIR that I bought at the same time from the same man. I added them to my collection of 4 EE'ers. The EE lay better than the Buffs and RIR.
Last thursday one of the buff's starting sitting on some eggs, I counted out five marked them with a marker, and gently put them back under her, every afternoon I take away eggs that aren't marked. As the past week has gone by I have gotten less and less eggs, I have read this is normal and have been looking around the yard for other nests (my girls free range and get locked up at night). Now one of the EE and one of the RIR are sitting too, the buff would let me move her and feel under her but the RIR bites, I tried to put a small bucket over her head, but no luck.
I did get a glimpse of the orginal marked eggs and they are covered in a yellowish liquid that has dried on the eggs, could be chicken poop, but I'm not sure, I have read that eggs explode, these eggs didn't smell bad or have an crack that I could see, I didn't get to handle them, just a glimpse.
So do I just leave the girls alone, let them do there thing and eat store bought eggs or should I be doing something. The buff was collecting all the eggs the other girls were laying and rolling them under her. Now she has a hen party going on. I was not planning on candleing the eggs I was just going to let them be and wait. I feel sure the eggs are fertilized as I see the rooster do his thing on a regular basis.
I'm just not sure what to do.
One more question... Is it broody hen like the broad river or broody hen like moody hen?
I have one rooster who is about a year old. 2 Buff Orpington's of undetermined age as I bought them after they starting laying. I have 2 RIR that I bought at the same time from the same man. I added them to my collection of 4 EE'ers. The EE lay better than the Buffs and RIR.
Last thursday one of the buff's starting sitting on some eggs, I counted out five marked them with a marker, and gently put them back under her, every afternoon I take away eggs that aren't marked. As the past week has gone by I have gotten less and less eggs, I have read this is normal and have been looking around the yard for other nests (my girls free range and get locked up at night). Now one of the EE and one of the RIR are sitting too, the buff would let me move her and feel under her but the RIR bites, I tried to put a small bucket over her head, but no luck.
I did get a glimpse of the orginal marked eggs and they are covered in a yellowish liquid that has dried on the eggs, could be chicken poop, but I'm not sure, I have read that eggs explode, these eggs didn't smell bad or have an crack that I could see, I didn't get to handle them, just a glimpse.
So do I just leave the girls alone, let them do there thing and eat store bought eggs or should I be doing something. The buff was collecting all the eggs the other girls were laying and rolling them under her. Now she has a hen party going on. I was not planning on candleing the eggs I was just going to let them be and wait. I feel sure the eggs are fertilized as I see the rooster do his thing on a regular basis.
I'm just not sure what to do.
One more question... Is it broody hen like the broad river or broody hen like moody hen?
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