Broody hen

[valeriebutterley]

Can a broody hen feel movement in the eggs when they are a few days into development?. I love candling eggs to see what is developing and have often wondered if the hen with her plucked (usually) tum and sensititivity can feel the movement of the embryo as and when it is developing. Some embryos loop and swirl continually, and I've often wondered if the hen feels it. Just a thought for May.............................

 

[dinosaw]

I have five sitting on eggs at the moment Val, it's got well out of hand. Heard cheeping from under the Ko Shamo this morning. I had started to wonder if they would hatch and if she knew whether there were live chicks in there.

 

[valeriebutterley]

Hi Dino,
yes I'm sure when it gets to the egg cheeping stage, the mum must know. How exciting, chicks about to arrive shortly. My Croad girl had crushed one of the two Barred Plymouth rock eggs I had put under her, so I put the other back in the incubator. I have 3 nest boxes side by side and she was filling her box with all the eggs she could gather.

Best of luck with your hatch.

 

[Minorcafan]

How is the hatching going?

 

[dinosaw]

Total of nine surviving chicks who are doing well from four birds who sat to full term, that includes two birds who only hatched single chicks this year, so it's been a bit of a funny year hatching wise.