CJClucks
Songster
I have a jungle fowl hen who is known to do her own thing. I discovered her on a hidden nest of 8 eggs (her own) in an unsafe location today...on the ground in the woods outside the livestock pasture where my flock free ranges. I’m amazed the hen & eggs have survived my house dogs & the myriad of predators we have around. The last egg I collected from her was 9/27. I don’t know when these eggs were laid or how long she’s been on them. I candled them when she went to eat with the flock & 7 of the 8 appear to be developing. I ultimately decided to move her & the eggs into a dog crate in my garage after dark tonight. I had my son hold a flashlight while I picked her up & held her under one arm then loaded the eggs into a carton with the other. I used a dog bowl with shavings as a makeshift nest for the eggs. She was unhappy about the disturbance & restless in the crate but I turned the lights off & shut the garage up hoping she’d settle down. Went back out with a dim flashlight after about 30 minutes & she was sitting on the dog bowl nest so hoping that’s a good sign. I’ve had a couple of predator incidents using a dog crate inside my coop to integrate purchased chicks so I felt like the garage was safer. I’ve only had one broody on eggs before & a raccoon came into the coop during the day & ate the eggs a week before hatch. Time will tell how it works out I suppose.
