Well, today is Day 19 of Ashley’s quest to become a momma.
And it may be her last.
This morning I went down to feed the chickens and let them outside, like usual. I set up the cat carrier above in the coop, with fresh bedding and placed in a spot in the underneath where it wasn’t in direct line of the wind/etc.
Ashley was on her nest. Today is Day 19. If she were an incubator, it would be lockdown. No touching, no opening the incubator. Maximum warmth.
I came down tonight to find Ashley on another nest and the eggs cold. Not cold cold, but cold enough to cause me alarm.
Today’s temperatures were in the 40’s and 50’s with rain and wind.
It looks like Ashley got off the nest to eat/drink and someone else got in her nest. There was an extra egg.
But I have no clue when the other hen got off the nest or how long it had been since they were left alone.
I wasn’t home more of the day, so there’s no way of knowing for sure.
I removed the extra egg and put Ashley back in her nest. If nothing hatches on Monday I will likely put her in the broody breaker.
😞
Oh dear!! That happened to us too… They get confused between nests sometimes! Our eggs hatched just fine. I hope yours will be ok too. I think developing eggs are less likely to get hurt by cooling off than by overheating. They may hatch a day later. Good luck!! X
LikeLiked by 1 person
I made a morning update. 3 of her babies have hatched.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh great!! Congrats! 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no! I hope the eggs will be ok for you. Don’t give up on Ashley, if someone else was on her nest she sat on the next best thing she could and once she was back in the broody trance she wouldn’t see a reason to move off ‘her’ eggs. Maybe whoever sat and laid on her eggs kept them warm enough for a while. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I updated this morning. I have 3 hatched so far. So that’s good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no! I hope the hatch turns out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I made an updated post. We have 3 hatched so far, a day early.
LikeLike