- Sep 28, 2011
- 129
- 3
- 93
Newbie here, Anxious for broody hen to hatch a clutch so I'm sure I've made too many switches to have any viable eggs
I have a setting Eastern Wild Hen her first full day of setting was March 17th. There are 2 nesting boxes with a total of about 337 eggs now. She was setting in nesting box # 2 but when she briefly steps out ( or gets out if I go in and it disturbs her) she goes into back nesting box #1 instead. (I have 3 hens laying). I think I messed up because I figured she was forgetting which nest she was sitting on, so I moved all the eggs into one nest into nesting box #2, which she can't possibly cover all of them, then one of the other hens would go into the nesting box with her which I thought was OK, she'll help keep them warm, but I think she was just adding to the clutch. At any rate, hen #2 hasn't decided to go broody SO then I took out the cold eggs that hen #1 couldn't cover (she hissed at me then ran out of the box) and put them back in nest #1. when she went back into the coop she went in box #1 NOT #2 so I tried to get her to go back into box #2, but that just scared her so I left and she settled back into nesting box #2.She was only off for 5 min's or so, But I'm wondering If I should just take all the cold unattended eggs into the house so she stops trying to go into the other nest box or wait it out to see if one of the other hens goes broody? The others are still laying eggs. They've been laying for about 3- 1/2 weeks now..I don't know which eggs came first because I never marked any of them (dummy me,now it's too late to know what's newly laid and what's older.
I have a setting Eastern Wild Hen her first full day of setting was March 17th. There are 2 nesting boxes with a total of about 337 eggs now. She was setting in nesting box # 2 but when she briefly steps out ( or gets out if I go in and it disturbs her) she goes into back nesting box #1 instead. (I have 3 hens laying). I think I messed up because I figured she was forgetting which nest she was sitting on, so I moved all the eggs into one nest into nesting box #2, which she can't possibly cover all of them, then one of the other hens would go into the nesting box with her which I thought was OK, she'll help keep them warm, but I think she was just adding to the clutch. At any rate, hen #2 hasn't decided to go broody SO then I took out the cold eggs that hen #1 couldn't cover (she hissed at me then ran out of the box) and put them back in nest #1. when she went back into the coop she went in box #1 NOT #2 so I tried to get her to go back into box #2, but that just scared her so I left and she settled back into nesting box #2.She was only off for 5 min's or so, But I'm wondering If I should just take all the cold unattended eggs into the house so she stops trying to go into the other nest box or wait it out to see if one of the other hens goes broody? The others are still laying eggs. They've been laying for about 3- 1/2 weeks now..I don't know which eggs came first because I never marked any of them (dummy me,now it's too late to know what's newly laid and what's older.