20 days-wrong nestbox

[jimred]

My girlie has been sitting for 20 days, coming off for 10 minutes for a feed,drink and pooh, a perfect mum to be!

today i got home and she was sitting in the nestbox next to her eggs!, i moved her back and she sitting again but the eggs were cold, what do you think of the chances of any hatching?

Very strange,she was sitting on one egg that one of the other girls had laid earlier in the day, perhaps she was a bit disorientated.

[Nicos]

Is she a first time mom?
Some chooks know if their eggs aren't viable and give up.
As you say she may have got confused.

Mine have still hatched having been left to go really quite cold- so I think time will tell.
Maybe you should put some mesh around the box to confine her to her eggs- then let her out for a short time when you can keep an eye on her???.
It's only for a few days!
fingers crossed the chicks make it!

[jimred]

Thanks Nico, yes its her first time hopefully things will be alright!

i have a 6 eggs in the incy ready to hatch at the same time as hers, i might put a couple of them under her if that don't hatch, reward for all her hard work.

[womble]

I've had that before when the eggs got cold, they were still viable eggs and did hatch.
Unfortunately the hen just wasn't a good mother and they all died. Some hens just are like that, I'm not saying yours is, but normally they are very good mothers and wouldn't dream of letting the eggs get cold, so be careful.

[Hilary B]

I learned years back, if she CAN sit on the wrong eggs, she probably will!
Good luck with these ones (it might be OK) but next time prevent such mishaps by putting her where she can't get to eggs laid by the others.
A hen that is a bad mother first try might improve with experience, but make it easier for her to get it right than wrong, that way you maximise your chances of success.

[Nicos]

Any signs yet???