How does a hen know...?

[Snozzle]

How does a hen know when to stop turning the eggs? Being on day 19 with my little batch of 6 eggs cooking, that question has popped up over and over and I don't seem to find a decent answer online. Do they have an internal timer, do they hear the chick inside, is it a scent or do they have a little flashlight hidden in their feathers and candle the egg when no one is looking? I had to use a calendar to figure my egg days out, guess my chickens are smarter then I after all

 

[Rainwolf]

How does a hen know when to stop turning the eggs? Being on day 19 with my little batch of 6 eggs cooking, that question has popped up over and over and I don't seem to find a decent answer online. Do they have an internal timer, do they hear the chick inside, is it a scent or do they have a little flashlight hidden in their feathers and candle the egg when no one is looking? I had to use a calendar to figure my egg days out, guess my chickens are smarter then I after all

Hen's talk to the chicks in the egg so I think that when they start peeping back she stops and just sits never moving cept to eat/drink and sometimes not even that.

 

[Snozzle]

That makes sense, thank you! I don't hear my guys peep yet, but I stopped turning yesterday. Can't wait to finally get to see them without the gift wrap on lol

 

[LaynaDon95]

I'm going with the flashlight theory. =P

 

[nurse_turtle]

I'm going with the flashlight theory. =P

Tiny little maglite under that wing...

 

[LaynaDon95]

Exactly!