3 questions about broody hens

[patandchickens]

1) over how many days is a hen 'supposed' to collect the clutch? Was Maudie *supposed* to still be laying more eggs up to 10 days after beginning to seriously sit?

2) After what time would you say that new unmarked eggs (from the broody herself, or from others) should be removed from under the hen? Neither Maudie nor I did a good job with this, this time and I want to know better for next time.

3) Is it usual for a hen to defend the empty shell(s) of the last-hatched chicks? I just think it's weird that Maudie was never at ALL aggressive or pecky the whole time -- until this morning I got pecked trying to remove the last empty eggshell (just hatched overnite). Silly hen

Thanks,

Pat

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
well, for starters, a truly clucking chicken does not lay eggs..

a hen collecting eggs could easily go 2 weeks..

new eggs should be removed daily.

all clucks have good days and bad days.. so you never know when you will get pecked or not.. and your cluck will defend an empty nest..

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Maudie did. Even after I moved her (and the whole nestbox) to an isolation pen across the aisle, about 8-10 days after what I would say was the beginning of her being broody, two new eggs (unmarked, and beyond the previous total # of eggs) appeared in the clutch, and could only have come from Maudie. I'm not saying this is typical, but she did it... which is sort of what I am asking about, at what *point* does a hen stop laying eggs?

new eggs should be removed daily.

After how long? I am probably not asking this correctly -- like, say on August 1 you decide that Mrs Hen is well and truly sitting on a clutch, after a week of not being sure about it. On what date would you mark the existing eggs and start removing any new ones?

what are the empty shells doing still in the nest??

It was only the one shell, from the last egg which hatched overnight. The others obviously I removed previously.

Thanks,

Pat​

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
Maudie did. Even after I moved her (and the whole nestbox) to an isolation pen across the aisle, about 8-10 days after what I would say was the beginning of her being broody, two new eggs (unmarked, and beyond the previous total # of eggs) appeared in the clutch, and could only have come from Maudie. I'm not saying this is typical, but she did it... which is sort of what I am asking about, at what *point* does a hen stop laying eggs?

new eggs should be removed daily.

After how long? I am probably not asking this correctly -- like, say on August 1 you decide that Mrs Hen is well and truly sitting on a clutch, after a week of not being sure about it. On what date would you mark the existing eggs and start removing any new ones?

what are the empty shells doing still in the nest??

It was only the one shell, from the last egg which hatched overnight. The others obviously I removed previously.

Thanks,

Pat​

that last question was supposed to have been deleted/edited out after I went back and read the OP

I would date all the eggs on say, like today.. then start removing any additional eggs after today..

that would give all the eggs the benefit of the maximum time to hatch..

I put just the estimated hatch date on each egg.. then you do not have to calculate later...​

 

[framing fowl]

My hen was nice the whole time she was brooding as well but... watch out after she hatched those babies. She's like a whole other creature now! But that's good, I know those babies are well cared for. It was just a surprise for her to change so suddenly but now I'm just careful around her.

 

[patandchickens]

I wonder now if there may have been something to her pecking me this morning -- I went out two hours later and the chick from that egg was dead

and she was rather agitated. I dunno whether she was agitated *because* the chick died, or whether she was upset about something else and accidentally squished the chick, but, either way.

Sigh.

Pat, back down to 2 chicks again