Well, Shave my legs and call me "Smoothie"!!

I swear....you really ARE never too old to learn!! If you've read my previous posts concerning my chicken eggs, this will all make sense to you. (If not, it might behoove you to do so, just so you don't get left behind)
I just spoke with a former chicken farmer, who informs me that a chicken will NOT set the eggs in the nest until she gets as many as she wants under her. He also informed me that fertile or not, an embryo will not form until the egg is brought to the correct temperature. (so my refrigeration of those previously laid eggs, was not necessary for the purpose of thwarting embryo developement!)
"So..." I says to him, "you mean one or more of my poor girls was trying to produce a 'clutch' of eggs, in anticipation of a large family??" And, here I've been methodically REMOVING the eggs from her nest! How frustrating that must be for the new mama-wannabee!! (He snickered and made some remark about 'city girls'.) Then he says, "Wha'd'ya think? That a chicken just sat down & laid a dozen eggs at a time?!" (well...YEAH?!)
He proceeded to educate me on eggs & such. He says that a chicken will "set" eggs other than her own: duck eggs, guinnea eggs, turkey eggs, ostrich eggs (now THAT would be difficult!) He told me that a chicken will set & hatch a duck egg, and care for the duckling just like one of her own. He sd the same goes for a DUCK setting & hatching a chicken egg.
Oh, I'm sure that, in the beginning, things would progress just fine...till mama duck tried to teach that chick to SWIM!!!