- Dec 19, 2011
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I am BRAND NEW with chickens. I bought an entire flock from someone, all different kinds. She had 1 "brooding" orpington who had gone in a cat carrier and refused to come out but wasn't sure how many eggs were under her. I took carrier and all and much to my disappointment when I was able to get her raised up, realized there were no eggs under her. I had about 4 eggs that had been layed by someone else, don't know who, so I just stuck them under my new hen. She took to them immediately. They should be hatched by the end of the month. A couple days later I stuck a few more under her...bigger eggs obviously from a different bird. A day or so later, shoved a few more eggs under her. She is sitting like a champ. Read about the whole "candleing" thing and thought I'd give it a try with the first original 4 eggs. Thought I was going to cry. There are babies in them. But then I realized, having put the eggs under her on different days, when/if the first ones hatch, will she take care of the chicks AND continue to sit on the remaining eggs? If not, what should I do?