Finally, eggs but she won't sit!

[bobbi-j]

Or... let them know because they might not have realized it! I thought plenty today about how thankful I was that you DID let me know. And that even though I started to feel a little sensitive myself... none of us know what is going on for another. You all ROCK!

I really appreciate that BYC has allowed me to grow not only as a chicken mathematician... But also in my personal life! On more than one occasion.

Right. It's hard to read tone, and I may read something one way one day, and entirely differently the next. How I read things depends a whole lot on my mood that day. If I'm already feeling defensive, I'm going to take things as an attack. You could tell me to have a nice day, and on the wrong day I could become offended. (Not really, but you know what I mean.)

 

[Terri E]

My daughter collected our hen's eggs the first week but we would really like to see chicks (so would the roosters). So we are on day 4 of not collecting. All 3 eggs from the last 3 days are there but she won't sit on them. She lays and goes foraging. How long can eggs sit before we have to gather them? I don't want them to ruin but we REALLY want chicks!

I'm not sure if anyone has said this or I've missed it, but my novice experience of my hens, only two has sat on eggs. However, mine had done the same as yours, lay then forage. That is until they have a good sizable collection such as 12 or more. It's easy to get that many for all my hens lay on the same location. Even fight and push the others out or lay as close as possible.

However, once she goes broody, she doesn't let any hen push her away no matter how many ch they tried to.

You, as I've seen others stated this, do have choices. Incubation or wait to see if she'll sit on a sizable collection for the natural process.

I currently have duck eggs and chicken eggs incubating, While one of my hens is sitting on a collection. I had no other choice on incubating the chicken eggs. The other hen no longer wanted to sit on them so I didn't want them to go to waste. My fingers are crossed since I don't know how long they have before hatching, I'm hoping for the best.

Wishing you the best as well!

 

[lizro]

I have an issue with educating children that the way chicks are produced should be in an incubator with no mother hen to rear them. I know that this is how the majority of chicks are produced and here in the UK schools are buying into schemes where the incubator is loaned and the eggs provided. If I had small children I would teach them that chicks are sentient creatures first and foremost and that hens can be wonderful mothers who will protect the chicks against predators and other hens, will teach them how and what to eat. The first thing my broody did with her chicks was to show them the best best place to hide! Took me a while to find them - but they still go there to hide. There is a noticeable difference between the hens I bought in as point of lay and my hens who were raised by a mother hen - even though she did not lay those eggs and the resulting hens look quite different to the mother hen. They are much more confident and independent.
Rant over dear fellow chicken lovers!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Or... let them know because they might not have realized it! I thought plenty today about how thankful I was that you DID let me know. And that even though I started to feel a little sensitive myself... none of us know what is going on for another. You all ROCK!

I really appreciate that BYC has allowed me to grow not only as a chicken mathematician... But also in my personal life! On more than one occasion.

I guess it has helped my interpersonal communication also.
In a previous life, I hadn't realized there were so many sensitive souls.
It really eats at me when someone thinks I was being mean when that is never my aim.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have an issue with educating children that the way chicks are produced should be in an incubator with no mother hen to rear them. I know that this is how the majority of chicks are produced and here in the UK schools are buying into schemes where the incubator is loaned and the eggs provided. If I had small children I would teach them that chicks are sentient creatures first and foremost and that hens can be wonderful mothers who will protect the chicks against predators and other hens, will teach them how and what to eat. The first thing my broody did with her chicks was to show them the best best place to hide! Took me a while to find them - but they still go there to hide. There is a noticeable difference between the hens I bought in as point of lay and my hens who were raised by a mother hen - even though she did not lay those eggs and the resulting hens look quite different to the mother hen. They are much more confident and independent.
Rant over dear fellow chicken lovers!

You make good points. I really think that chicks raised by broody hens are more inclined to become setters later.
It may be a good idea to get a couple bantam cochins to set on eggs for teaching children how nature intended things to work.
Usually every year I have at least 3 broody penedesencas but I also hatch in incubators more often. I once had a flock of 10 Pene pullets that had just started laying eggs when 8 of them went broody together in a community nest.

 

[ChikkiDoodleRoo]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

First let me say that I wouldn't try to hatch FIRST eggs if she just started laying. The reproductive system is just getting up and running so they may have hiccups like double yolks or shell-less eggs. Which means you might hatch a bunch of deformities. Also note that IF she just started laying and is a pullet... her body and mind are still growing and maturing. I will NOT let my gals brood if they under a year old. It's like letting a teenager verses a lady in their mid 20's. Their bodies still need the nutrients from regular feeding which they don't do when sitting. My ladies usually lose some weight AND they become very shaky. Just not gonna let them lose condition like that on my watch. Once they become more mature, their bodies are much more filled in and better equipped to handle the situation, though it is still hard on them. And I often will adopt chicks from the feed store (up to 6 days old but younger is better) or from my incubator to the broody ladies so they don't sit for sooo long and I get to try other breeds that way... without having to deal with all the extra cockerels that come along with hatching. I'm ok with it now, but in the beginning butchering is difficult. And not all will be able to find homes. We knew we wanted to feed ourselves, so we committed... but some people won't be able able to. Sometimes they will keep a stag pen for all their boys to live in until their day comes naturally. I do keep a stag pen, but only for breeders or eaters... nobody stays forever and how long they do is often dictated by their behavior among the flock.

No matter how many eggs you do or don't leave in the nest... broody is a hormonal thing. I collect all eggs everyday and have some broody's that will sit on nothing but imagination. Yes some breeds are more likely than others to go broody.. though I see exceptions ALL the time. It, like so many other things can really vary by individual. I have one girl that goes broody EVERY 3 weeks like clock work until I let her sit. Or every 3rd egg once she breaks from her original broody spell.

If your gonna leave eggs in the nest, I suggest fake ones and collect the eggs you wish to hatch until you have someone actually broody. That way the hatching eggs won't be jostled every time someone enters or exits the nest. Less chance of breakage, scrambling, fecal contamination, or other things that make for less hatch-ability. IF and when you do set eggs, be sure they all go under on the same day. Have them marked well and check the nest daily to remove eggs that might have been deposited by other ladies.

I'm sure plenty have posted since I started typing.

I will add that there ARE a few things that DO encourage a broody IF they are going to.. adequate nutrition (not layer in my opinion & NOT "spoiled" by treats), plenty of space (no overcrowding), shelter, proper internal and external parasite control as needed, and protection from predators. Generally good health and an overall sense of well being. Even then some ladies don't have a broody bone in their body. And by providing adequately... broody is NOT seasonal for me the way it WOULD be in nature where the seasons predict how much resources are available. I live fairly far north, with about 8 hours of daylight in winter and no artificial supplementation... and I had broody's in the breaker MOST of the winter so far and a girl who is a few weeks into raising a chick right now.

My broodiest are of course the Silkies. My French Black Copper Marans have also been plenty frustrating and even rehomed due to excessive broodiness. But I've had broody Swedish Flowers, and even hatchery barred rock (her second year she went broody even though she didn't in year 1) raise chicks. A local guy even got a rooster from me for his broody red sex link who hatched and raised a clutch of chicks there after. And seen broody leghorn, though it isn't their norm. When I first started with chickens I though getting a broody was rare and would never happen for me. Boy was I wrong! So I would say just enjoy your hobby and maybe let happen naturally as chicken math tries to wrangle you in.

And I will note that while it's cool to see a broody raise chicks... there is nothing friendly about them during most of that time, if you are used to them being lap pets. It is very much a blessing to witness... if all goes well.

Last but maybe not least... you won't get ANY eggs from a broody hen. In my experience it last between a minimum of 3 but up to 12 weeks. Not usually less than 7 with adopted chicks that didn't include 3 weeks of sitting before hatch.

Hope this is helpful to you!

And good luck in your future en devours.

I know this post is a few months old, but I just wanted to say how much this helped. I love how knowledgeable you are, but also how kind you are in delivering that knowledge. I have a silkie/EE cross pullet and she just laid her first egg yesterday, its small, but not fairy egg small. I knew she wouldn't sit on it as its just one egg and I knew they usually wait for a clutch, but it never occured to me that you don't want a young pullet to sit on eggs. I just didn't even think about the not eating and losing weight part. Thank you so much for posting such an information filled post, it helped me and I am sure others a lot

 

[KWray]

Hi I've had a broody hen sit on eggs for About 2weeks now, but she has now decided not to sit on them anymore during the day.
A friend of ours hatched 5 out of 5 of our eggs from a week earlier with her hen, so we know if they were to hatch it would be very soon, how can we encourage her to sit again or do you think she knows eggs are no good? Or the days are warmer does she not have to sit all day???
She pushed a couple out a week ago when we noticed they were broken/cold. so we checked and there was a chick no feathers. Sould I put in some more hay as not much hay I think she pushed it out, I haven't touched anything as I thought it would put her off. Not sure what to do. Help

 

[chickengeorgeto]

My daughter collected our hen's eggs the first week but we would really like to see chicks (so would the roosters). So we are on day 4 of not collecting. All 3 eggs from the last 3 days are there but she won't sit on them. She lays and goes foraging. How long can eggs sit before we have to gather them? I don't want them to ruin but we REALLY want chicks!

Assuming that you have a hen who will reliabely start sitting collect every egg that you intend to hatch every day. Collect the eggs several times per day if the weather is cold. Learn how to store your hatching eggs to best preserve viability. The little book
"A Guide to Better Hatching" is invaluable for beginning chicken raisers.

https://www.amazon.com/guide-better-hatching-Janet-Stromberg/dp/0915780003

 

[aart]

Hi I've had a broody hen sit on eggs for About 2weeks now, but she has now decided not to sit on them anymore during the day.
A friend of ours hatched 5 out of 5 of our eggs from a week earlier with her hen, so we know if they were to hatch it would be very soon, how can we encourage her to sit again or do you think she knows eggs are no good? Or the days are warmer does she not have to sit all day???
She pushed a couple out a week ago when we noticed they were broken/cold. so we checked and there was a chick no feathers. Sould I put in some more hay as not much hay I think she pushed it out, I haven't touched anything as I thought it would put her off. Not sure what to do. Help

She might, but some broodies just don't see the task thru to the end. Might need an incubator to finish the job.
Not sure where you live but even in the warmest places egg should be sat upon most the day.

Assuming that you have a hen

@chickengeorgeto the post you quoted is a year old.