Hen Rejected Viable Eggs!!!

[Brillig]

Hi All...

Any thoughts on why a hen would reject healthy eggs??? She'd been on them for five days and then this morning I found eggs strewn around the coop...She even had a broken one stuck to her feathers...I took the eggs inside and candled them and at least three of the five were viable...I threw them in the incubator, but they were cold when I found them...Just trying to piece together what happened so I can prevent it in the future...She's a Lemon Orpington BTW...and she's still sitting on about 7 or 8 eggs...

 

[chickens really]

Do you have her contained away from the other Hens?....Hens can carry off eggs under their wings...Another Hen possibly took them..?....Or she was trying to move her nest herself?.....She might need a more private setting away from the others ?....

Best of luck..


Cheers!

 

[Brillig]

She's been broody for several weeks, she was just on ceramic eggs for awhile...She's not had any problems with the other hens even though she isn't in a separate pen...The timer messed up and left the coop light on all night and I think the extra activity in the coop upset her...Usually, she's alone all day while the others are free ranging, and everyone settles down quickly once night falls and the light goes out...She's been fine since, but I lost all of the eggs that got pushed out of the nest...Bummer...