Tom, you hit that one right - the other hens keep laying along side her, and she is trying to hatch everything. I keep picking out those eggs that are not marked, but am now sometimes finding a marked egg out in the cold. I also don't feel it is good to keep bothering her by rummaging around underneath her to see what she's sitting on. I have a feeling this may just be a failure. No big deal, I don't need any more chickens, I was going for the experience more than anything. I should have somehow isolated her as you suggested. Live and learn. I'll let her keep setting for another week and hopefully she'll hatch out at least a couple little chicks. If not, I'll just keep the nest box free of eggs and let her unbroody (is there a correct term for this?). This particular hen went broody right after she started laying last summer and it took her a long time to get back into regular mode.
Question: is there any way to tell if an egg is fresh or has started developing? We've been cracking eggs into a cup before use or giving any questionable ones to the dog. I haven't yet run into anything too weird but figure my time will come.
