Ok to leave Broody "locked" on nest..already got babies pipping!

[Sunny Side Up]

Yay for hatching chickies! And yay for this hen who has sat & sat & sat for so long!

You could go ahead & leave the board up, the hen probably won't want to leave the nest for 24 hours while all the babes hatch. She won't want to get up to eat/drink/poop.

*BUT* since you've had problems with other hens pecking at the chicks, you might want to scoop everyone up now and move them to the secure cage. I don't think the hen will abandon the nest while her chicks are hatching. Maybe there's a way you could take the hen off the nest, slide something underneath, like a piece of cardboard, and scoop up the nest, eggs, & chicks all in one piece to carry to the cage. Then reinstall Mama hen with them.

It's your call, and I wish everyone the greatest of success!

 

[Ducklove334]

okie dokie lemon pokies.

she SHOULD have 2-6 babies hopefully tomorrow

she had 4 internal pippers too, plus the two external ones, and I'm hoping the other 4 will atleast be internal pips by then too!

I put the board back after having it off all day, so she can't get off the nest, and so no one else can see the babies.


more in the morning!