Agressive Broody

[Arheart]

One of my Australorps is broody again. Last year and earlier this spring when she went broody I tried marking the eggs and removing any unmarked ones but she always ends up abandoning the nest after a couple days of this and/ or breaks the eggs because she get agitated when I'm trying to get the eggs.

This time I've just left her alone, the only time I've really gone close to her was to give her another egg, and she's been sitting in the same box for a week now. (First time last year she kept switching boxes).

Should I just let her be for the rest of the incubation period or risk her abandoning or breaking the eggs and try candling the eggs at least once?

 

[Henriettamom919]

Oh, that's a tough call! You don't want to upset her into bailing but you also want to know whose fertile.

I'm going to let someone else with more wisdom than I have weigh in. I hope she stays put, though!

 

[PirateGirl]

I couldn't decide either with my broody. I've never let her sit on eggs before. I waited until a full week of her having eggs (which was actually 2 weeks of sitting) before I candled them. I gave back all the eggs that showed development. I haven't messed with her too much since. Honestly she has gotten used to routine though. I do check for new eggs (another hen likes to deposit one in her nest from time to time) daily, but she is far less bothered by it now than she was before.

 

[Shadrach]

One of my Australorps is broody again. Last year and earlier this spring when she went broody I tried marking the eggs and removing any unmarked ones but she always ends up abandoning the nest after a couple days of this and/ or breaks the eggs because she get agitated when I'm trying to get the eggs.

This time I've just left her alone, the only time I've really gone close to her was to give her another egg, and she's been sitting in the same box for a week now. (First time last year she kept switching boxes).

Should I just let her be for the rest of the incubation period or risk her abandoning or breaking the eggs and try candling the eggs at least once?

Make sure she can leave the nest to eat, drink and poop and very important, dust bath.
Don't feed her on the nest. She needs to get up and off every day.
Leave the eggs alone. Candling the eggs won't make them change; they either are or they're not fertile. You just need to wait the same as your hen.
Apart from making sure she gets off the nest once a day and providing food and water when she does there is nothing else you should do. She's the hen, let her get on with what she does best.

 

[Chickassan]

If she's that huffy i'd just leave it alone. Let her do her thing and hope for the best.
I've heard this was done a lot back in the day but likely not for the same reasons.

 

[50-45-1]

Broodys left in the coop nest boxes where fresh eggs are added daily is not a good setup. If you want to have your broody hatch eggs on a yearly basis, you shoud have a secure se luded spot for her.
I use rabbit like hutches.
Once i have a dedicated broody i start saving the eggs i wish her to hatch. You can save eggs for a week. Then after dark i move the broody to the hutch with the eggs. I dont have to mark eggs or worry about stagered hatch. 21 days later chicks!
Your hens eggs might be getting broken because the other hens are compeating with her for the favorite nesting box to lay there eggs.
Below is the hutches i just finished building from reclaimed materials.