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Sitting on ONE egg

post #1 of 10
7/29/12 at 10:01am
Thread Starter 
Every morning we check the coop for eggs. Normally all hens are roaming the yard and couldn't care less what we're doing. However, this morning one hen refused to get out of her nest. She bit me when I got close to her. I finally lifted her and found her sitting on one egg. I had taken five from her before and marked them to return them to her later. I put one under her, she cracked it and attempted to eat it. I pulled it away before she could. Is this normal? What do I do with her?
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post #2 of 10
7/29/12 at 10:10am

I'm afraid that you should just keep taking her eggs from her if she is going to eat them.  Broody hens generally stop laying while they are sitting, so you might not find any under her.  But my broody hens get off so that the other girls can lay eggs for them.  Most of my broody hens have become lazy enough to just let me take their eggs though.  For aggressive hen I get some leather gloves so that they can't bite me.  But after awhile they learn not to bite.  Good luck! big_smile.png

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post #3 of 10
7/29/12 at 10:25am

Broodies will also steal eggs from others' nests.  They will roll them and can even carry them.

 

It might be that you could give her another chance to brood and hatch, and she would do fine.  Maybe there was something wrong with that egg; often they seem able to sense this.  Although it does seem some broodies insist on killing their chicks.

Judy
Happiness is when you can look at your chickens and smile....
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.

Flockwatching my little bunch of mutts, a favorite pastime.

BYC Troubleshooting article -- click here

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Judy
Happiness is when you can look at your chickens and smile....
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.

Flockwatching my little bunch of mutts, a favorite pastime.

BYC Troubleshooting article -- click here

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post #4 of 10
7/29/12 at 10:36am

Ugh, I'm so mad at one hen! She hatched 3 chicks and took them out of the nest but then abandoned them so she could sit on her nest again!!! They just sit under her nest and talk to her.  Poor babies, oh well, she won't let me take them either.  SO MAD!!!!! Broody hens are a pain in the butt if you ask me....

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post #5 of 10
7/29/12 at 10:41am
Thread Starter 
I had attempted to return these same eggs a few days ago and she kept burying one in the nest, but she was okay with the others. She wasn't interested other than that and I was told that she may not sit due to the heat. I don't know if the one she broke was the one she buried though.

Will a hen hatch a single egg? I've seen her annoyed with me for taking them, but never like this! I'm new to this. I thought they would only sit on about 5-10.?
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post #6 of 10
7/29/12 at 10:59am

Yeah, I had a hen last week sit on her nest, hatch one chick and leave.  Then my Ameraucana sat for a few days hatched five chicks (from the same eggs) and my Wyandotte took two for herself.  It all worked out.  Some hens can only handle so many chicks.

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post #7 of 10
7/29/12 at 11:34am
Thread Starter 
Yes, she is also a pain! Does it make a difference that there are chicks in the coop that are only about 3 months old? She's very nurturing towards them as well. They were bought, not hers. She acts like they are though.
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post #8 of 10
7/29/12 at 11:53am

Yeah, when I moved my 2 month olds to the coop then the chickens couldn't get them I had one girl that would follow me around for ever until I let her in their to see her "babies".  She would count them and they crowded around her, it was so cute! Of course, she was bored after an hour of motherhood everyday!big_smile.png

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post #9 of 10
7/29/12 at 12:59pm
Thread Starter 
Lol, that's how this one is! They're with her at night and scattered behind her through the day. She recently discovered they can't find her in the middle of the tomato plants. Makes sense then that she's only interested in the one. She's so moody though. She'll probably be over it soon.
Thank ya'll, btw, for being so helpful! I'm new to this and know pretty much nothing!
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post #10 of 10
7/29/12 at 1:34pm

That's okay, I like helping (or having the delusion that my rambling helps) people.  It's fun to be able to talk to people who like chickens as much as me.big_smile.png  BTW, welcome-byc.gif

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