It started with one German hen sitting on eggs about a month ago. Then she was moving from box to box and not being careful about sitting on them, so after a week or so, I stole some and took them to Elmer to incubate. I brought him 10 eggs, and yesterday 4 of them hatched. (Yay Elmer!)
Since I stole the eggs, one of the Australorp hens has joined German in the same nesting box. This is one big metal box that has 10 holes meant for egg-laying, not chick-sitting, so I am not real happy they are in there. And why in there together? A Barred Rock decided to join them 2 doors down. Sometimes the other hens go in there and lay eggs in with the sitting hens. And the sitting hens don't seem to know how to hatch them because they have not hatched a single chick on their own!
Now I just have to find a way to get the hens to accept these little ones as theirs. I tried to introduce them this morning, but German was pecking at them. I will try sometime later tonight. Rumor has it that you can sneak them under the hen late at night and she won't bother with them until morning when she will think she hatched them.
We'll see... For now, 4 little chickies are in a crate across the room, waiting for a mommy to love them!
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