MadChickenMama
Songster
So my sister and I moved her broody hen to my house, which is on the same property, so not far. We set her up real nice and I gave her 3 of the biggest eggs I had (trying to hatch Seramas).
At first she just decided to try and roost on the side of the bin we put her and the nesting crate in, but I checkes on her after about 30 minutes and moved her to face the nest and eggs. She walked in and just sort of squatted, but didn't do the whole hunkering down thing. I left her for over an hour and then went back to check.
She was still standing like that where I'd left her. I know I can't rush this stuff, but I worry about the temp getting too low on the eggs for too long. It's pretty over warm in my house and fairly humid (NC near Ft Bragg) so I don't think it would be too bad, but still.
I got a little more worried and checked to see if I could take the eggs. At first she did nothing then she made this noise that sounded a bit angry so I pulled my hand away lol. It wasn't like the angry clucks she has been making at the other hens, but definitely not friendly.
Then I noticed one egg had been pushed down and the bedding had gotten moved away and so it was resting on a hole in the crate. Was scared it'd get smushed so I grabbed this dish drainer mat I don't use and moved the hen and was easily able to get it situated in the crate with some bedding and the eggs on it. I did have to nudge her back towards the crate but she seemed to like this set up even more, lol, and walked in and turned around and squatted down. Still no fluffing up and hunkering down, but I *think* she'll take the eggs.
But if she doesn't actually lay on them do y'all think they'll be ok overnight? It's not cold, but it's not 99 degrees. My thermometer in my kitchen says it's about 80 in my house right now.
At first she just decided to try and roost on the side of the bin we put her and the nesting crate in, but I checkes on her after about 30 minutes and moved her to face the nest and eggs. She walked in and just sort of squatted, but didn't do the whole hunkering down thing. I left her for over an hour and then went back to check.
She was still standing like that where I'd left her. I know I can't rush this stuff, but I worry about the temp getting too low on the eggs for too long. It's pretty over warm in my house and fairly humid (NC near Ft Bragg) so I don't think it would be too bad, but still.
I got a little more worried and checked to see if I could take the eggs. At first she did nothing then she made this noise that sounded a bit angry so I pulled my hand away lol. It wasn't like the angry clucks she has been making at the other hens, but definitely not friendly.
Then I noticed one egg had been pushed down and the bedding had gotten moved away and so it was resting on a hole in the crate. Was scared it'd get smushed so I grabbed this dish drainer mat I don't use and moved the hen and was easily able to get it situated in the crate with some bedding and the eggs on it. I did have to nudge her back towards the crate but she seemed to like this set up even more, lol, and walked in and turned around and squatted down. Still no fluffing up and hunkering down, but I *think* she'll take the eggs.
But if she doesn't actually lay on them do y'all think they'll be ok overnight? It's not cold, but it's not 99 degrees. My thermometer in my kitchen says it's about 80 in my house right now.
that's what I do to my chickens
..
