Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/12/2007

Question
shes kicking the eggs and putting them back in. thats what i mean.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
hi! me again! is it ok for the female to kick the eggs? will the chick die inside the egg if she kicks it and it is fertile
-----Answer-----
Hi again, Katelyn.

It isn't really OK for the female to kick the eggs, but there's not much you can do about it.  When you say she is kicking the eggs, is she kicking them on purpose (such as out from under her) or just accidently kicking them as she moves about, in/out of the nesting box?  If she's kicking eggs out from under her when she's incubating them, perhaps they aren't fertile (she knows if they are or not).  

A chick won't die as a result.  Birds turn their eggs regularly every day in order for the developing embryo to develop properly inside (not get stuck to the inside of the egg).  At the time of hatching, however, eggs shouldn't be moved around so the hatchling can position itself properly for hatching.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Katelyn.

I still don't completely understand what you mean here.  Kicking the eggs and putting them back in...putting them back in what???  Birds often accidently kick their eggs around when they come/go from the nesting box, etc., and then they pull the eggs back under them when they go back in the nest to incubate.  Depending on the age of the eggs, the female might be kicking out ones that she knows aren't fertile, but then she shouldn't be pulling these eggs back under her to incubate.  A chick won't necessarily die inside an egg for this reason as long as the hen is incubating them properly (as long as she pulls them back under her for incubation).  

If this doesn't answer your question, you'll need to provide more detailed information so I understand what's going on.  

Chrys