Prolapsed vent - am I getting it right?

[BeckyBoo]

Hi there, we're just about into our first week with Speckle sitting on eggs. I know there's been advice on here not to turf her off to eat and drink, but today I haven't seen her leave her nest. I presume she's not so doopid as to stay on the eggs and starve to death?

Also, having a little peek in (I know I shouldn't really,) I found that one egg had disappeared and two of the others were covered in yolk. A little rummage in her surrounding hay and I found that either it had broken and she'd eaten it or she broke it. Now I'm worried that she'll get a taste for egg and she'll sit for 21 days gradually getting fat on a diet of egg! I know not all the eggs will hatch and that hens can sometimes "know" a duff one, is this likely to be it?

It's really exciting but it's also just a whole new load of things to worry about

 

Mrs Bertie

[bronze]

I turf mine off. Everything I read advised to do it at least twice a day so I did. Mid morning and mid afternoon.

[chelsea]

yes I agree, turf her out for a few minutes a couple of times.

 

I read in my chook book that a broody hen will allow herself to leave her eggs for 20 minutes at a time to eat/drink/shake her feathers!

[Happybunny]

I haven't made mine get off the nest, but they seem to come out and have a good wander about when they think no one is looking!

 

My hens were sitting on nine eggs originally and when I candled them it seemed that only four or five were fertile but I didn't feel confident enough to throw them out. The hens did though! Two of them were found in the run, one broken: I wonder if it's because when they're infertile or dead they cool down a lot quicker than the live eggs?

 

4 of the 5 fertile eggs have now hatched and we're just waiting for the last one!