Don't count your chickens before they hatch!

I enjoyed seeing a momma hen raise her chick so much that the next hen who wanted to sit on eggs, I've let sit.  She isn't letting me get close to her.

There are really three hens sharing sitting duties on this nest and I hadn't been able to get a look at how many eggs there might be.  And momma hens are viscous.  Finally, all three cleared out for a moment and I got a look.

YIKES!  This could result in many chicks!  But you know what!?  It's true- you should never count your chickens before they hatch.  Not all of these eggs will hatch for a variety of reasons.  Some eggs just don't mature into chicks and sometimes the egg was never fertilized.  It takes 21 days from the time a momma hen starts sitting on her eggs until they hatch.  We'll see soon who shows up!