Advice needed

[rooster58]

I'll try to explain my situation as simply as possible. I've got two hens that I think may be going broody. I got the flock after Christmas at pol so they are not "tame" to me. They don't run away unless I try to pick them up. Anyway one of the hens will run away from the nest if I stick my hand in. Doesn't try to peck at me or anything. She runs around then tries to get back to the nest clucking the whole time. She is an EE. The other hen is a bantem chochin mix. When I reach into the nest she doesn't peck at me either. She doesn't run out like the EE does though. She will let me pick her up and remove her from the nest. She clucks like crazy too and immediately try's to go back to the nest.
I have a incubator on order and do want to hatch kinda soon. My big question is are these hens really broody or are they just refusing to roost all of a sudden? Should I chance giving them eggs to hatch? Don't know if it matters but the chochin was pretty high in the pecking order but the EE was pretty low.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

It does sound like they are broody.

Are they in the nest all day or just at night? It's good to give broody hens three full days on the nest before giving them eggs. That way you have a better idea of whether or not they are going to stay broody.

 

[rooster58]

It does sound like they are broody.

Are they in the nest all day or just at night? It's good to give broody hens three full days on the nest before giving them eggs. That way you have a better idea of whether or not they are going to stay broody.

Well they were on the nest when I got home today and refused to go to roost tonight. This is the first day. Good idea about the three days. I hadn't thought about that. I'll give it a few days. The other hens are gonna be upset with losing two nesting boxes though. Lol. I better get busy with the brooder coop I was planning on building this weekend. Thank you so much for your reply.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

No problem! Let me know what happens.

 

[rooster58]

Hmm. It seems that the EE has given up. I didn't get the feeling she was too serious about being broody anyway. The little chochin mix is still sitting on her ceramic eggs.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Hmm. It seems that the EE has given up. I didn't get the feeling she was too serious about being broody anyway. The little chochin mix is still sitting on her ceramic eggs.

Ok. Do you have a rooster, or will you have to find fertilized eggs for her?

 

[rooster58]

quote name="TheKindaFarmGal" url="/t/1151260/advice-needed/0_50#post_18024517"]
Ok. Do you have a rooster, or will you have to find fertilized eggs for her?
[/quote]

I've got a rooster. He is a tad young but is doing his job though. I gave a friend of mine a dozen of my eggs three weeks ago and they are hatching as we speak. Lol

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Great!