Won't all the egg/babies die?

[bragabit]

I have an Easter Egger who has been missing for a week now. She comes and goes over my 6 foot chain link fence. She only comes home once a day at 9-10 am. She wasn't laying eggs in the coop for awhile, so I figure she's got a nest somewhere. The problem I see is that we can have some wicked weather here. Its unseasonably warm now, and when she comes home to feed in the morning its around 40-50 degrees. She is off her nest for an hour. Wouldn't the eggs, get too cool? Should I keep trying to follow her? She is hardly eating and I don't know if she is getting enough water

 

[jenjscott]

Chances are everything is just fine. Broodies only come off the nest once every day or two, so as long as she eats and drinks while she is there, it should be ok. The biggest problem is that something will get the nest. If you can find her nest, you can go out at night and get her and eggs and put into a broody pen.

 

[austinhart123]

if you can find her i would put a nest box with the eggs in it ontop of the origonal nesting place, and let her sit in it and at night, move the box into a broody pen, like the poster above said, its not about the weather, its about the predators

 

[Overeasyplz]

I hope you find her!

 

[bragabit]

Found her with 15 eggs under that tiny bird. Moved her into a pen with fresh pine shavings and once we shut the door she freaked out. 2 hours later she showed no interest in the eggs. kind of sad, I wish we hadn't moved them. I can't be sure any of them were fertilized, and I don't have the heart to crack them open. I don't know if our bantam rooster was able to truely 'mate' any of my chickens, but that not from lack of trying.

We had a 1 foot snow storm last week and she was in the coop that day. So I know atleast 7 of those eggs were buried in the snow for the day.

Maybe next spring the 'urge' will hit again.

 

[austinhart123]

you shouldnt have moved her untill night time, obviously she wasnt going to want to sit on the eggs if you just move them becuase she doesnt know it was her nest.....
your supposed to do it at night when she is asleep

i said in my earlier post
put a nest box with the eggs in it ontop of the origonal nesting place, and let her sit in it and at night, move the box into a broody pen

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
While that is ideal, it's not always possible. Op said she was off their property on the other side of a 6' fence. I had to move one of mine that was on our property but in a really hard to get to place. I did it at dusk, but couldn't wait until full dark because I wouldn't have been able to get in/out of where she was. You can only do what you can do and hope for the best.

Sounds like this batch is a wash and quite possibly not viable to begin with, but on the bright side you have a broody!! Maybe she'll be more reasonable about location next time and you can slip her some fertile eggs.

 

[Jess N Jeff]

You are right...you can only do what you can do! You did your best and at least she is safe and back home. She is alive to raise babies another day. Good job!