Waiting to hatch or...?

[chisandchicks]

I have an Ameracauna (sp?) hen that has been sitting the eggs in the box for 4 days now. When I got the hens I have one left an egg the very first night and 2 the next a.m. - so, I left them there, marked them with a red permanent marker (so I'd know which ones were which) and waited to see what would happen. there was always one of 3 hens on the nest and I removed only the eggs not marked and was quite careful to NOT move the other 3. When can I expect the babies to hatch? I read that it takes 21-30 days - is that true? HELP PLEASE

!!!

 

[FFAChickenFan]

If the hen accepts the eggs she will most likely sit on them for 21 days, although it can go to up to 25. You'll notice that she spend most of her time on the eggs, but about twice a day or so she'll get up to get food and water, this is normal.
On the 18th day (or close to it), she will stop getting off the nest and go into what we in the hatching business refer to as "lock down". This is totally normal and it is crucial that you not disturb her, for if she moves it may cause a failure of the hatch or other complications.

Keep in mind though that if the hen who is sitting on the eggs isnt "broody" the incubation process will most likely not work properly. You say that there is always one of the three hens on the nest- this is not exactly good. What you're looking for is one hen who appears to be claiming the nest as her own to incubate the eggs. If this doesnt seem to be happening, the hen might not be broody and wont incubate the eggs properly.

Best of luck to you!