Remember that broody hen who ended up with everybody else's and their sister's eggs under her? They are hatching in a somewhat haphazard style. Now why isn't that the least surprising? Haphazard seems to be the 'in' thing at the Dam Farm. She hatched one out of the original three. I know that for sure because I put 'X's on them. That's about the only thing I did right as far as 'egg management' goes. A week later, she hatched another out and the next day, yesterday another came into the world. She's got eight left. I don't have much hope for them since she's been off the nest a couple of times long enough for the eggs to cool. But we'll see.
Of the three I have, two are obviously all Buff Orpington, the third seems to be a cross. Buff Orpingtons chicks are all yellow, Partridge Chantecler chicks are beige with brown markings, this little guy is yellow with some brown markings. Don has taken to calling him the very uncomplimentary name of 'Skid Mark'.
My second broody hen has ten eggs under her and they are all marked. I also check them every day to make sure some other hen hasn't popped her egg in the nest as well. The attitude seems to be, "If that hen is brooding, I might as well give her my egg and let her do all the work while I have all the fun." Even though I have the broody hens secluded, the others do find ingenious ways to get in, kick the broody hen off, lay their egg and then go on their merry way. Must be the the "me" generation coming home to roost, so to speak.
