No Counting Chicks Before They Hatch!

   One week down, two more to go for these young ladies as they try to hatch their first flock of chicks! The young hen to the left is sitting on 15 eggs a friend gave me. Since we don't have a rooster, our eggs are not fertile. Some of the eggs are Buff Orpingtons like herself, and some are Black Australorps. The hen at the bottom is sitting on 18 eggs, a mix as well.
     It takes 21 days for an egg to hatch. However, a hen will sit on the nest for 22 to 23 days to give a little more time for the slower chicks to crack out. As the old saying implies, not all eggs will hatch. When ample time has passed, but the chicken is still sitting on unhatched eggs, just remove them. I would wear gloves though! ;-)