My broody hen log:

[Eddy Chicken]

I figured I'd keep updating this for the next 20 days or so:

Yesterday my 7 month old Buff Orpington (Henrietta) went broody (I think) and sat on 5 eggs all day and all night and all day today.

The 5 eggs in the nest had been in the coop for a week maybe longer so I was unsure if they were any good or if they may have overheated.

Today I replaced those 5 eggs with 8 eggs that were laid today.

She gladly accepted the transaction.

She did leave the nest a little while ago to relieve herself, got a drink and some food, and took a big ole' dust bath.
She was gone for 20 minutes tops and is back on the nest.

I opened the 5 eggs I took from her and each one had a single tiny red vein running through it. I take it those eggs would have been ok.

 

[rachlore]

Yes, they were fertalized but they are perfectly okay to eat. and eggs are good non refrigerated for up to twelve days

 

[Eddy Chicken]

Papa!

Mamma hen is still sitting.

 

[Eddy Chicken]

Day 4:

She is still sitting.

Each day she gets up for under an hour to drink, eat, and dust bathe.
She doesn't like to be bothered while she is going about her business of taking care of herself and will puff up and growl at me.

All my chickens are extremely friendly including the rooster so to see her like this is very different.

The other hens keep trying to plop more eggs in there and one of hers actually cracked from another hen plopping an egg on top of the pile so now there are 7. Whenever she gets up each day I remove the unmarked eggs,

16 days to go!