I've mostly been just leaving my hens to their own devices; the one has been sitting for a little over two weeks now and the other just started sitting on Saturday (or so my brother tells me). The first hen is sitting on 8 eggs as far as I know, haven't been able to tell what the other is sitting on. But, upon returning home from my long weekend away yesterday, I discovered a broken egg. The yolk and whatnot had all been eaten, and there was a well-formed fetus inside. It was covered in dried blood and yolk. Then, this morning, I coaxed the second hen to stand from her eggs for a moment and discovered another one like this beneath her.
Is this her eating her eggs? If it is, is she doing it for the nutritional value, or because those eggs were dead anyway and she was getting rid of them? If it is nutritional, what can I offer them to keep this from happening? I'm currently feeding soaked barley chop and fresh-pulled green grass and they've been doing fine on it thus far. The hens are Red Jungle Fowl, no more than 7 months old (were from a 2012 hatch is all I know, and I bought them in May).
This is my first time hatching eggs in any way, shape, or form, so any help is much appreciated.
Is this her eating her eggs? If it is, is she doing it for the nutritional value, or because those eggs were dead anyway and she was getting rid of them? If it is nutritional, what can I offer them to keep this from happening? I'm currently feeding soaked barley chop and fresh-pulled green grass and they've been doing fine on it thus far. The hens are Red Jungle Fowl, no more than 7 months old (were from a 2012 hatch is all I know, and I bought them in May).
This is my first time hatching eggs in any way, shape, or form, so any help is much appreciated.
