Hi my barred rock went broody and is sitting on four eggs. She's been sitting on them last Sunday, so 4 days ago. Is there anything I should do? Should I candle them??? Or should I just let her and her eggs be?
If you want to check that the eggs are fertile and developing you can candle them after day 7, but apart from that you don't have to do anything. That's the beauty of broody hens, they do all the work and since it comes naturally to them, they don't need intervention or help from us most of the time. I say most of the time because things can go wrong, but with most of my broody hen hatches I found it's better to just let nature take it's course and not intervene unless a chick's life is at stake. All you have to do now is make sure there is food and water available for mom, a safe place for her to hatch the eggs and raise the chicks when they arrive and enjoy the experience. Good luck with the hatch!
