Hidden Nest found!

[donrae]

For a long time I had no run to confine them to, so we always did egg hunts. We're also on one acre and that can be a lot of ground to cover! If you're determined for her to lay in the nest box, you'll have to confine her to the run for several days, and I'd keep a sacrifice egg or golf ball, etc in the nest all the time. Since I didnt' have a way to do that when I found a nest like this I'd do the float test and usually crack the eggs seperately, and sacrifice a few eggs (mark them with sharpie and leave them in the nest) so I'd encourage them to keep laying in the same place--at least that way I knew where they were! I found if I took all the eggs, the hen would go lay somewhere else and the hunt was on again

 

[michiele]

I tested all the eggs with the float test and they all passed - all very fresh We ate 6 tonight and will make a quiche on Friday

 

[Farm Frenzy]

 

[Manningjw]

If you think about it, a hen can let an egg sit for over 12 days before going broody incubating them and they will still hatch, being about 1 month old at the time of hatch. If the egg is still viable enough to produce a healthy chick it should be safe to eat after 12 days outside in average temperatures.