Our Serama pullet, Rhodie, started to lay last month and after laying a handful of eggs decided to go broody even though we were removing her eggs everyday. She would just sit in the nest box on the wooden decoy egg.
Feeling sorry for her we decided to give her some mutt eggs to sit on that we knew were fertile. (EE x Australorp) Three were all she could sit on at once and sit she did, until the other hens started running her off the nest. (I think it was a favorite nest box for many-even though we have 42 nest boxes to choose from!)
So, we brought her and her 3 eggs into the house and set her up in a bird cage we had used before as a brooder.
Three days ago she pushed 2 of the eggs out from under her. Thinking it might be an accident we pushed them back....right back out they came. We candled them and they were indeed bum, slosh-y eggs. Those Mama's are SO SMART. How do they know? I guess she could detect the lack of movement or something.
This afternoon we saw discarded egg shell in the corner of the cage, perfectly zipped, and hiding underneath its Mama was the cutest little black, muffed chick you ever saw!
Aren't they CUTE???
Feeling sorry for her we decided to give her some mutt eggs to sit on that we knew were fertile. (EE x Australorp) Three were all she could sit on at once and sit she did, until the other hens started running her off the nest. (I think it was a favorite nest box for many-even though we have 42 nest boxes to choose from!)
So, we brought her and her 3 eggs into the house and set her up in a bird cage we had used before as a brooder.
Three days ago she pushed 2 of the eggs out from under her. Thinking it might be an accident we pushed them back....right back out they came. We candled them and they were indeed bum, slosh-y eggs. Those Mama's are SO SMART. How do they know? I guess she could detect the lack of movement or something.
This afternoon we saw discarded egg shell in the corner of the cage, perfectly zipped, and hiding underneath its Mama was the cutest little black, muffed chick you ever saw!
Aren't they CUTE???
