new mom keet

Question
my keet has a nesting box but did not use it. she had four eggs two of which my kids messed with and put in the nesting box and she is ignoring (she layed them on the floor of the cage) and two she has in the corner of the cage and is sitting on them.  she has a large amount of seed  gathered there to put them on and is coming off them occationally but is still sitting on them. will they hatch if they are not in the box.  

Answer
Hello Laura! The hen will still hatch the eggs as long as she is sitting on them and they are fertil. First time mothers may kill their babies because they dont know how to take care of them, but as weird as it sounds, this is normal. Some mothers will raise their first clutch with no problems, others take a couple tries before they get the hang of raising their young. The eggs will hatch after about 18 days. The chicks will be naked and blind. The mother feeds them by rolling the chicks onto their back. If these eggs do not hatch withen 20 days, remove them. The hen will lay more eggs, most likely in the same spot or possibly in the nesting box. But yes, hopefully the chicks will hatch and she will raise them no different than in a box. good luck!