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- #21
Honestly I can't say how long the eggs took to hatch. She disappeared for about a month off and on, then showed up for snacks for about a week and then our dog located her on the nest, that's when we noticed the chicks, but she is still sitting on her clutch of eggs, either they're different or non fertile.
She does not get along with the wild hens that are around, a hissing and pecking fight ensues, so it's not probable that another hen layed in her nest. She is quite reluctant to get off her nest right now and I do not wish to pester her further, we did collect the chicks shown in the pix and selected 5 eggs to incubate, thinking they would hatch out any day due to the chicks presence 3 days ago. Since this is her, and my, first nest and with the dead chicks present and a strong aroma of skunk I wanted to save some in case of her being overrun by predators. She doesn't have the hen group safety system that the wild turkeys have, she's alone in the woods, somewhat exposed.
The eggs have not hatched, 3 days later, so I'm mixed about the next step, patience for now.
I honestly don't know, but with all the BYC'ers help I'm thinking that I probably have made a false assumption, but the cracked turkey egg still nettles me. It is possible that our yard birds made a rogue nest that I didn't catch and Dolly brooded them and laid her eggs in the nest? Ate the shells, there was absolutely NO chicken shells or parts laying aroung, just cracked turkey eggs. I'll just wait and see.
Thanks for your questions and help, being new to the hatching and breeding side of chicken enthusiasm is a new step for me and I honestly just called it as I saw it.
She does not get along with the wild hens that are around, a hissing and pecking fight ensues, so it's not probable that another hen layed in her nest. She is quite reluctant to get off her nest right now and I do not wish to pester her further, we did collect the chicks shown in the pix and selected 5 eggs to incubate, thinking they would hatch out any day due to the chicks presence 3 days ago. Since this is her, and my, first nest and with the dead chicks present and a strong aroma of skunk I wanted to save some in case of her being overrun by predators. She doesn't have the hen group safety system that the wild turkeys have, she's alone in the woods, somewhat exposed.
The eggs have not hatched, 3 days later, so I'm mixed about the next step, patience for now.
I honestly don't know, but with all the BYC'ers help I'm thinking that I probably have made a false assumption, but the cracked turkey egg still nettles me. It is possible that our yard birds made a rogue nest that I didn't catch and Dolly brooded them and laid her eggs in the nest? Ate the shells, there was absolutely NO chicken shells or parts laying aroung, just cracked turkey eggs. I'll just wait and see.
Thanks for your questions and help, being new to the hatching and breeding side of chicken enthusiasm is a new step for me and I honestly just called it as I saw it.
