I am new here, but joined so I can ask this question as time is of the essense. I have a chicken we will call Penny. She has 2 eggs that she has been sitting on for 3 weeks. They should be hatching soon if they are going to hatch. Well, I have another chicken we call fro (she has an afro ) and we found her on a nest in the yard. She has 7 eggs. So we have a bobcat and were afraid to leave her in the open. We moved her to the coup and moved her eggs, made her a nest in the nesting box beside Penny, and arranged her eggs in it. Well, she won't sit on them. So....Penny has gotten off her 2 eggs and is not sitting on Fro's eggs. What should I do??? Should I put them all under Penny when hers will hatch any day? Will she keep sitting on Fro's after her 2 hatch? Or should I let Fro back out and let her go back to her dangerous nest in the yard as bobcat bait? Thanks for any insight you can give me. Dana
You should not let your hen back outside. She will want to go back to the nest and is way to vulnerable. Penny will most likely not stay on Fros eggs long enough for them to hatch if you give her the 2 original eggs. They may stay up to 3 days but will eventually leave the unhatched eggs to take care of the babies. You can take the 2 eggs, candle to make sure they are close to hatching and then try to finish them yourself. You can do that pretty easily by just putting them in an ice chest with a reflector light over the. Use a thermometer and make sure it reads around 100 degrees. After day 18 they don't need to be turned but they do need humidity. You can put a damp cloth under them or a damp cloth nest to them. People have also hatched eggs in an electric skillet in a pinch. Put down a bed of clean sand or even shavings. a bowl of water and keep the lid on but slightly ajar for air. Set the dial at the lowest possible setting. Your Penny will continue to sit on the larger clutch of eggs if she does not have chicks hatching. If you don't want to try hatching them yourself, you will have to decide which eggs you most want to hatch and let Penny finish the job. Your other hen Fro may or may not settle in on a nest again very soon.
Thanks Jaynie. I candled one of Penny's 2 eggs, and it started peeping me. It hatched. We crated Fro with her nest and eggs, and she is happy now. I think we have it all figured out and everyone in the right place now! Thanks!!!