I just found a clutch of eggs, what should I do with them?? **PICS**

[Break an Egg]

I just found out my phoenix hen has been laying eggs in a hidden spot behind my property. She has 10 eggs hidden there real good.

Has she just found the place she wants to lay at or do you think she will want to hatch them?
She is free ranged, and I didn't raise her so she is scared of me, but should I trap her and pen her up and give her the eggs or should I leave her alone and see what happens?

I also took pics, and I'll try to get them up.

ETA: pics

 

[Dar]

she may have just found a good spot.. if she wanted to hatch she would not go far from the nest...

when i find a clutch like this i will scramble them up and feed it back to the flock

 

[Break an Egg]

She was sitting on them when my daughter found them. Actually, that's how she found them, she wanted to see what she was sitting on lol. This was in the evening around 6:30 pm.

Thanks Dar, I will keep an eye on her and see what she does.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

do the float test, see if they are good then eat them.

 

[Silkie-Feet]

i'd say leave them out there and let her hatch them. then once they hatch take the chicks or let the mom have them.

 

[chickenlips1954]

My Mille Fleur, Tidbit, did the same thing this summer. I found her clutch of 13 eggs in the woods, with her sitting on them. Since I had no idea how long they had been there, I gathered them all up, along with Tidbit and put them all in a dog crate in the coop. During the next two days, all 13 eggs hatched. I'm so glad I didn't throw the eggs away or take Tidbit away from them. She was a great mama who loved her babies and after 3 weeks I found a new home for all 13.

 

[Break an Egg]

Update:

I saw her early this morning, but not since. I have a feeling she is sitting on those eggs right now, but as I stated, she is skittish and I don't want to disrupt her. I do know that she usually hangs out close, and my husband and I are going to build her a special pen this weekend, and try and get her in it.

 

[Ohhhdear]

If you have a rooster, then her eggs will probably be fertile and she's brooding on the nest. You could candle one (hold it up in front of a strong flashlight) to see if there's a developing chick inside.
If you don't have a rooster and there haven't been any lone free rangers coming by, then I'd do the float test on the eggs to see how old they are. If the eggs stay on the bottom of the water, they're still good to eat. The more upright the egg the larger the air sac inside it and the older it is. If it's upright or floats, I'd scramble them and feed them back to the hens.

 

[Break an Egg]

Quote:
The only rooster I have came with her and is also a Phoenix, and he's been hanging around her nest area on gaurd. I am really excited, I've never had a b- I'm not going to say it, I will jinx myself.

Thanks Ohhhdear for the reply!!!

 

[dixie&trixie]

Quote:
How exciting, keep us posted! Im going to follow this thread!