Sheila Congratulations to your hen on her little ones! Yes, it is an awesome thing to watch (see Luke 13:14)! We have had broodies hatch out eggs 4 times now. It sounds like youÂre doing all the right things. One of our broodies (2 clutches of eggs) stayed in a separate pen/house with the chicks until exactly 4 weeks when she laid a first egg; after that she got kind of mean to the chicks and just wanted to join the flock. We kept the chicks in the small pen/house for a couple of more weeks. One stayed happily in the pen/house with the chicks until they were 7 weeks. She started laying and the chicks were about ready to be on their own in the flock. Most recently (May), a broody hatched out only one chick and was wonderful mom. At 4 ½ weeks she started laying and was increasingly eager to get back with the flock. But I was afraid the chick at 5 weeks was not ready to be with the others. So I let them both out late in the evening (most were on their roosts for the night). The Mom went in the coop. The chick was quite distressed and kept going back to their little pen/house. I finally picked her up and put her in the big coop on a low roost. She has been fine. Spent a little time with the mom the next day but for the most part they are no longer together. Our chickens are free range, all day. They go into their coop at dusk. With all the broodies, when the chicks were about 3-4 weeks, I would let them out late in the evening. They followed the mom and she watched them. They would return to their pen/house. Dianne

Why Should Eggs Be Refrigerated? "Temperature fluctuation is critical to safety. With the concern about Salmonella, eggs gathered from laying hens should be refrigerated as soon as possible. After eggs are refrigerated, they need to stay that way. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than 2 hours." "Some people store eggs in a cool larder or room, as many recipes call for eggs to be used at room temperature; however, eggs will deteriorate quicker at a warmer temperature. 24 hours of storage in a cool room is the same as 4 - 5 days in a refrigerator. Eggs stored in a cool room, should really be consumed within two weeks." Have you ever considered using powdered whole eggs? They are shelf-stable, pasteurized, and just so darn handy. I wish I would have started using powdered eggs years ago. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: USDA Fact Sheet - Eggs

For the record: The other day I was rearranging things in my garden and had taken the screened cover off the dill and Italian parsley for the better part of the day. Didn't think anything of it until yesterday when I discovered cats all over my parsley and one lone cat on the dill! Put a note up for myself to remember to check the plants each day for awhile until I'm sure there are no more eggs!

They'll be fine. I had two broodies raise chicks last summer. One kept switching her nesting box but the other had a better handle on keeping the eggs warm (and getting into the same nesting box day after day). When they hatched, I ended up with one survivor - and BOTH hens were solicitous to the little chick. So expect that to happen with yours. Both made great nurturing mothers, with no conflict between them.