I had a bit of a surprise a little while ago. I have eggs I noted as having set on November 8th, due to hatch this Friday. Apparently I failed to note I set 2 of them on the 2nd, because one from the 2nd hatched and the one from the 1st is pipped! I was sitting here reading and suddenly heard cheeping in the back bedroom where the incubators and hatcher are. I thought I must be hallucinating but went to check anyway, and there was a lovely little silver colored Silkie chick in there and the pipped egg. I quickly fired up the hatcher (luckily I had already disinfected and dried it in preparation for moving eggs into it on Wednesday) and as soon as it got to temp moved the chick and pipped egg, candled the other egg from the 2nd to make sure it wasn't about to hatch (it isn't), and checked all my notes again. I keep a running spreadsheet/diary where I note eggs laid, set, etc. and I just flat blew it, there is no way this fully formed chick is five days early. If I thought I could tell it apart from the two in the brooder I'd name it Sunday Surprise LOL but so far all three are carbon copies of one another. They are sired by a Black cock bird from Catdance and based on color, I believe all three came from a Splash hen I bought from Shyscreations last spring, who is just beautiful. If I have time later this week I will try to take some pics of them.
Hens go broody when you don’t want them to… and won’t go broody when you do. 
