On Tuesday, my DH was out and about tending to chores and the like. Our chickens were happily out of the chicken pen, and about tending to chicken endeavors such as hunting and pecking for food, foraging and having a nice day outside stretching their legs and enjoying life. He noticed as well, that our BO was out. No worries. She gets up off the nest at least once a day, usually in the afternoons, to take care of her business. We leave the gate to the pen cracked open so they can come and go as they please. So it was not unusual to see her, although we don't generally see her out of the pen when she does get up.
DH noticed that she wasn't going back in the pen and went to investigate. The gate had blown shut and she couldn't get back in! He opened it up and she went right in but didn't go over to her nest. He felt the eggs... cold. He thought she had been out and off the nest for maybe 2 hours. Well, finally, she did get back on the eggs and has been on them the rest of the week. Maybe she knows something we don't, like how long eggs can be unattended without warmth and still survive. You would think she could tell if the eggs are viable or not. Does anyone have any insight about this?
I hope I am wrong, but unless I am totally off on the days of when our BO started setting on her clutch, we are not going to have any chicks. I am so disappointed. I was really looking forward to having baby chicks around.
i don't know much about chickens and their eggs, but i would think that she would have some idea if something were wrong with her eggs...she did reject one several days ago..and unless she laid all of those eggs at one time maybe she needs a few more days of sitting.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping you're right, maybe just a few more days of sitting.
DeleteCan you sneek(with a big pr. of gloves) a few out and candle them? Or won't they feel heavier if chicks inside? I've got my fingers crossed?
ReplyDelete