Two BFF's going broody for the first time together.

[HenPecked_bychildren]

Well I noticed changes the past week. They have still been laying, but sitting longer and puffing up and growling at me when I come in. They have also plucked their feathers on their bellies/chests. Then Frazzle stayed in the nest overnight and all the next day and that afternoon Frizzle joined her. They are sitting side by side. I gathered all the eggs yesterday, but I'm going to leave them the eggs today and tomorrow and see what happens.

So this is our first time. They are a little over a year old. We have a communal next box shared by 4 other girls. It's about 2+ feet long by 18inches deep. So there is plenty of room for now. I am going to mark the eggs that I let them keep with a marker for now to keep them separated. They gather up the other girls eggs as soon as they leave and sit on them. I put an e-mail out to everyone I know asking for an animal cage of some kind to put them in. I think I will bring them into the garage so I can keep a close eye on them and make sure they are eating.

So I need some direction. I plan on letting nature take it's course and letting the Mama's do their thing. I am only going to intervene to make sure they eat and drink. We are a homeschooling family, so this will be a cool project to watch.

Can I take any of my recently gathered eggs(the last couple days) and let them have those? Would they develop(we have a very active rooster and have seen fertilized eggs) or are they a lost cause since they are in the fridge? I would have liked to hatch some of their own eggs(they are bantams).

Any advice you have would be great!

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

I think it's a great project for kids. Mine just love candling eggs and feeding the broodies treats. Nice juicy insects and berries, etc., so I know she eating and getting some moisture!

As for the fridge eggs, you can TRY it if you don't mind that most of them will be wasted. I've seen plenty of stories here on BYC where refrigerated eggs hatch. But it's definitely not as likely as eggs that have been kept at room temp. Just remove all the eggs that show no spiderwebbing when you candle after 3-4 days. You certainly don't want a bunch of bad eggs ruining the ones that are good!

For your kids enjoyment, I'd recommend including some eggs that were not refrigerated, so something has a chance of hatching.

Have fun!

 

[LarryPQ]

Cuteness!

Leave the eggs in the fridge, and let them steal today & tomorrow's eggs. If you can block them in with food and water, you may have better success than tying to move them. I find it is the PLACE that calls to the broody, rather than the nest of eggs itself. If you can prevent the other ladies from laying in their chosen broody spot, life will be much less frustrating.