Hen hid her eggs?!

[aubreyt78]

My silkie hen has been sitting on 5 eggs for 18 days. When I went to close the coop door last night, I went in an noticed she was not on her eggs, but hanging out with my frizzle, in the corner. I went over to her nest, and the eggs were gone!!!!!!!! I put my hands through the straw, and low and behold they were there, but pushed around and hidden. Now what? I put them back in the nest, does she not want them? or is she hiding them, and i should go ahead and move her asap to her own spot?

 

[Chirpy]

At day 18 it's iffy if she'll accept being moved to somewhere new but if she doesn't go back to them where they are then I'd try it. I know my broody would leave her eggs for an hour at times and I still had a hatch. So, if she was just getting some fresh air and stretching her legs and intended to go back to them they will be fine. It sounds like she covered them to keep them warm while she took a break.

If you have a quiet, dark place that the other chickens can't get to I'd put her there with the eggs.

 

[Lollipop]

After 18 days you`re better off putting them in a hatcher. You can improvise with a cardboard box, if nessecary. Try and get the humidity up and keep the temp at 99-100. Never heard of so many lousey hens lately........Pop

 

[aubreyt78]

I don't have a bator, but the best I can do is the same as when we got the chicks from mcmurrays, which was give them the corner of the porch, a large area with a heat lamp, soft bedding, etc- and they all made it well!!!!!!!!!----but should I move her now into that spot, and if she is okay and stays, let them hatch there, but If I move her and the eggs and it does not work, what do I do? I can try and make my own bator, and I can supply the heat, but as for humididty>>?

 

[Chirpy]

If they don't hatch under her by roughly day 23 - they aren't going to hatch in a bator either. At that point you just throw them out. Sorry - hope these weren't really special eggs to you.

I'd move her to your porch spot and see if she continues to sit on the eggs.

I just had my broody from last year go broody again this week. She did great last year sitting tightly... we'll see how the next three weeks go.

 

[sbennett]

we started deep litter method last week - and this morning we found out the hens have started hiding their eggs - is there a way we can stop them from doing it?

 

[aubreyt78]

Well, after I put them back in the nest, I went in again last night and she pushed them away again, and was hanging out with the frizzle---so I guess they are done? Also, if she left them on the floor, and was not sitting on them, would they have been too cold anyway? I think so, I am in nh.

 

[Chirpy]

Unfortunately it does sound like she's done with them. Bummer.. so close too.


sbennet asked:

we started deep litter method last week - and this morning we found out the hens have started hiding their eggs - is there a way we can stop them from doing it?

I had a couple of my hens doing the same thing in the DLM. I put a board (about 1 ft. x 15 inches - it was just laying around) right on top of where they were laying/hiding them. It actually worked; although I had to move it I think three times to new spots before they finally got the message.​