Almost missing chicken

[RonC]

Went out to check on things with the chickens. Usually give them some scratch for a treat in the afternoons and my BO didn't show up. She hangs out a lot in the coop but stampedes out when I call them for their treats. Started looking for her and she was in the coop and wouldn't come out. Finally got her out and realized I forgot to collect the eggs the day before because it was raining. She had gathered every egg in the coop and was sitting on them and didn't want to leave. Good broody chicken but no roosters around to make things happen.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She doesn't care, she will sit on nothing if truly broody and be happy doing so.

 

[jolly wattles]

Curious had did she gather every egg in the coop? You have nesting boxes?

 

[SueT]

I've heard that hens can pick up eggs and carry them under a wing to a new box...do you think she did this?

 

[jolly wattles]

I've heard that hens can pick up eggs and carry them under a wing to a new box...do you think she did this?

I've never seem that happen lol. Are your boxes on the floor?

 

[13ChickenGirl]

Went out to check on things with the chickens. Usually give them some scratch for a treat in the afternoons and my BO didn't show up. She hangs out a lot in the coop but stampedes out when I call them for their treats. Started looking for her and she was in the coop and wouldn't come out. Finally got her out and realized I forgot to collect the eggs the day before because it was raining. She had gathered every egg in the coop and was sitting on them and didn't want to leave. Good broody chicken but no roosters around to make things happen.

She will continue to sit on the eggs whether fertile or not. Take the eggs if you want and replace them with golf balls. Some hens will take the golf balls in and some push them away. What we used to do is wait a week to make sure she has fully snapped into the broody mindstate then we go out and buy a chick or two and sneak them under. If you do this put them under at NIGHT so she will wake up thinking they hatched and most of the time will accept the chicks.

 

[RonC]

I only have four chickens and only one will use the single nest box when the corners of the coop are already occupied. Seems lately they all want to lay at the same time or close. Four chickens singing the egg song at the same time can get rather noisy. One corner they sleep over they won't lay in. At least they stopped laying on the ground under the coop. Hopefully a new law they are working on in Texas will pass and I can get two more. Prohibits cities/towns from banning flocks of less than six although they can put some regulations (like no roos) as long as the regulations won't actually ban small flocks. Don't know what I would do with the extra eggs though.