I have a 1 yr old Ameraucana who went seriously broody. She's been broody over a week, and didn't stop sitting even when I removed all the eggs. The nest she chose was out in the open, under a shade cloth but with no protection from weather. (We don't get weather very often here
)
I decided that I'd get some fertilized eggs today. We were also due for some rain. She needed to be moved, eggs or no eggs. I moved her box to a shed that all the other hens love. I added the eggs. She made her little broody noises and seemed fine.
An hour or two later I noticed that she was out with the other chickens. It was 2 hours max. (I don't remember the exact time I put the eggs under her)
I went out (in the rain, grrr). The eggs were cold to the touch. I tried placing her back on the nest. Nope. I moved the nest to a covered area near the other hens, and she fluffed up and went back on the eggs. The shed would have been the safest place for little chicks, but she's obviously having none of that.
So, can these eggs still hatch? Was she on them long enough to start the process, and if she was, would the time she spent off the nest mean they started and then died?
I've never done this before and I'm seriously bummed that I may have messed this up. I have carried that stupid nest box around a few times this past week, for various reasons, and she never gave up on it. Until the shed.
Do we still have a chance at babies? She's happy as a clam right now, on the eggs.
I decided that I'd get some fertilized eggs today. We were also due for some rain. She needed to be moved, eggs or no eggs. I moved her box to a shed that all the other hens love. I added the eggs. She made her little broody noises and seemed fine.
An hour or two later I noticed that she was out with the other chickens. It was 2 hours max. (I don't remember the exact time I put the eggs under her)
I went out (in the rain, grrr). The eggs were cold to the touch. I tried placing her back on the nest. Nope. I moved the nest to a covered area near the other hens, and she fluffed up and went back on the eggs. The shed would have been the safest place for little chicks, but she's obviously having none of that.
So, can these eggs still hatch? Was she on them long enough to start the process, and if she was, would the time she spent off the nest mean they started and then died?
I've never done this before and I'm seriously bummed that I may have messed this up. I have carried that stupid nest box around a few times this past week, for various reasons, and she never gave up on it. Until the shed.
Do we still have a chance at babies? She's happy as a clam right now, on the eggs.
