Okay, my day 14 of broody setting proved the last 3 of the 8 were also not fertile. All that waiting for nothing! BUT.... I got a call from the feed store the golden laced wyandottes were in so I rushed off Fri. and got 5 of those and 1 barred rock. Put them under mama Fri. night late and removed last 3 eggs and now there is no waiting & I have lovely new BABIES!! Its wonderful and she is being a perfect mommy to them. I sit and chicken watch all day. Its so much fun watching them diving into mama all over. She's a Cochin (lrg blu) and her feathers all start moving around as they claim their spots and sometimes little heads peek out from neck, or back, or wing. Love it! That's the part that you miss with incubating and the interaction with a good broody is wonderful entertainment. Sharon
Yes, I did separate the hen coop in half so mama has her nesting box and about 3 ft x 8 ft. to walk around with babies and the other side allows her last hatch which are about 20 wks old now to get inside to their roosts. I'm afraid the bigger ones will peck at the little ones so plan to keep separated until they are much bigger.
