The Broody Chicken

Below you see one of our chickens, which has been incubating some eggs, the past couple of weeks. Apparently it takes 21 days for chicks to hatch, if the eggs are fertile.

 

As you can see below, the chicken has arranged the eggs in a distinct shape.  She had just popped out to stretch her legs and so I was able to quickly take this photo.

The eggs get turned by the chicken several times a day, to ensure that each one gets the required amount of heat necessary to develop properly.