I'm a first time chicken-keeper. My young flock of hens and roosters are free-rangers during the day, and I shut them up in the chicken house every evening after they roost. 20 nights ago, Matilda wasn't in the roost. The next morning I found her in the farthest corner underneath the porch, which is 14 feet back to the corner, so I can't reach her. With a flashlight, I could tell she was sitting on a clutch of eggs. She has been a real trooper, usually coming out only once a day to eat and drink. Tomorrow should be the day the eggs start hatching. I'm wondering if there is anything I should be doing? Should I fill the chick feeder and waterer and push them as far under the porch as I can (maybe with a broom stick)? Will the other hens and roosters bother the baby chicks? Will she bring them out from under the porch right away? There is only about a foot of clearance from the underside of the porch floor to the ground so I can't possibly get to them. I want to do what I can to help them survive.
