Finally, day 21 is here - I am afraid to look now! LOL
I marked the date on the calendar that I placed two eggs under my broody Australorp and didn't collect her eggs any longer. Is there more fluctuation in hatching with a hen versus incubator? I've been reading some of these other threads and saw advice about waiting until day 23 before giving up. If we don't end up with any live babies, I guess I will have to get some chicks to console myself and my daughter.
We removed some non-fertilized eggs after the first week and half.. We didn't do much candling overall [don't know what we're doing and too nervous], and I know we never candled the two that I placed from other hens. They look different and hubby never pulled either one out from under her to candle.
We moved Olivia to a dog crate that has very small square wiring for the sides and a solid plastic bottom. When we moved Olivia, her sister Opal had gone into the nest, too, so we just left them together. The nest box front was nailed to the platform we took it off of, so this left the front open and they gradually wiggled some straw and their eggs out and are sitting on them outside what was the nest box. I hope that isn't going to mess anything up?
This is so nerve wracking!!
I marked the date on the calendar that I placed two eggs under my broody Australorp and didn't collect her eggs any longer. Is there more fluctuation in hatching with a hen versus incubator? I've been reading some of these other threads and saw advice about waiting until day 23 before giving up. If we don't end up with any live babies, I guess I will have to get some chicks to console myself and my daughter.
We removed some non-fertilized eggs after the first week and half.. We didn't do much candling overall [don't know what we're doing and too nervous], and I know we never candled the two that I placed from other hens. They look different and hubby never pulled either one out from under her to candle.
We moved Olivia to a dog crate that has very small square wiring for the sides and a solid plastic bottom. When we moved Olivia, her sister Opal had gone into the nest, too, so we just left them together. The nest box front was nailed to the platform we took it off of, so this left the front open and they gradually wiggled some straw and their eggs out and are sitting on them outside what was the nest box. I hope that isn't going to mess anything up?
This is so nerve wracking!!
hope all goes well,an yall have some new grand chicks.
e 
