Is my hen going broody?

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PearlTheDuck

PearlTheDuck

Songster
5 Years
Oct 19, 2016
627
260
191
Texas
I think my buff Cornish/buff orpington mix hen, Vanilla, is going broody. She goes and sits on the eggs but when I lift her up she leaves and is done but does it again a few days later. If I pick up the egg and set it next to her she pushes it back underneath her. She doesn't fluff up or peck me if I try to mess with her.
 
I don't think that is all the way broody yet.
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If she puffs up and doesn't leave the nest box for a long time than she has gone broody. This may be the be just the beginning of the broodiness.
I recently had a hen go broody and she didn't leave the box to eat, drink or go to the bathroom! She will stop laying eggs, so I would recommend getting another nest box for her. Keep it out of the way and in a quiet place in the coop. Try to take her out once a day to eat and drink.
We still had a fake egg in the nest box and she must have thought it was her egg because she got very distressed when it somehow disappeared.
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(it did break her broodiness pretty quickly, though)
If you have more questions please ask!!
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Hope this helps!!
 
PearlaMae123 said:
I don't think that is all the way broody yet. :rolleyes:
If she puffs up and doesn't leave the nest box for a long time than she has gone broody. This may be the be just the beginning of the broodiness. 
I recently had a hen go broody and she didn't leave the box to eat, drink or go to the bathroom! She will stop laying eggs, so I would recommend getting another nest box for her. Keep it out of the way and in a quiet place in the coop. Try to take her out once a day to eat and drink.
We still had a fake egg in the nest box and she must have thought it was her egg because she got very distressed when it somehow disappeared.:)   (it did break her broodiness pretty quickly, though) 
If you have more questions please ask!!
:yiipchick
Hope this helps!!
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Ok thanks so much! :) Very helpful!

I'm hoping she will go fully broody so she can hatch some babies! (Once the fertilized eggs get delivered)
 
Sounds like a typicak nesting behaviour to me,my hens take eggs when givne to them.Sittign on eggs is just natural,she may be though just watch.
 
I have had hens who just are extremely too lazy and fat to walk out of the nest box,they act as if they are broody in the nest but all it takes is a push out and they run away cackling.Or they will wiat in the mornings and be out.
Some things to check for are,laying flat on the eggs,tail down and she has her body completely coveri ng over them.If your noticing small fetahers on the bottom if the nests,or she may begin getting overly protective of the nest (Pecking at hands ir even fighting off the ither hens.)
 
TheTwoRoos said:
I have had hens who just are extremely too lazy and fat to walk out of the nest box,they act as if they are broody in the nest but all it takes is a push out and they run away cackling.Or they will wiat in the mornings and be out.
Some things to check for are,laying flat on the eggs,tail down and she has her body completely coveri ng over them.If your noticing small fetahers on the bottom if the nests,or she may begin getting overly protective of the nest (Pecking at hands ir even fighting off the ither hens.)
Click to expand...



TheTwoRoos said:
Sounds like a typicak nesting behaviour to me,my hens take eggs when givne to them.Sittign on eggs is just natural,she may be though just watch.
Click to expand...




She lays flat on them, whole body covering them, tail down and wings out a little.

Today she got in there in layed on them 3 times, all three times she was in there a while.
 
Sounds like typical laying behavior to me.
If a bird sits in the nest for 3 days and 3 nights, then they are probably truly broody.
If you remove a broody from the nest they will often lay right down on the floor and resume 'the position' of laying flat as a pancake.

Often they will screech and scream and bite if distributed, tho my non broodies do that if I disturb them on the nest.
Some of my non-broody layers will spend quite awhile longing in the nest before and/or after laying.
 
It sounds like she's trying to go broody but isn't for sure yet. If you physically have to force her off the nest and she puts up a fight and runs back, she's is definitely broody. Good luck!
 

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