Are they broody or just really lazy?

[Gigachad poultry]

So I have two hens who have started to seem rather broody lately. I'm just wondering if they are and if they are broody I'm kinda just going to let them do their thing and see what happens. I recently went on a 12 day trip and when I came back I saw Susan and Eda two of my more fluffy and larger hens sitting on the eggs all day. Susan actually did hatch out a clutch of 4 last year. I did check to see if they both had brood patches and they did. I don't know when they went broody if they even did. I'll post a picture of them and their brood patches.

 

[fluffycrow]

Sounds like they're going broody! Do they flatten out like a pancake, do they fluff out when you go near them, while making the normal broody sound?

 

[Saveria]

You may want to find a video of a broody hen online. They are hard to miss once you know the signs.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

Sounds like they're going broody! Do they flatten out like a pancake, do they fluff out when you go near them, while making the normal broody sound?

Yup when I try to take the eggs or give them more better nesting material, they puff up and sound like a screaming dinosaur. And they both look like pancakes.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

You may want to find a video of a broody hen online. They are hard to miss once you know the signs.

I did and I'm really starting to think there going broody! I will keep this thread updated on them.

 

[Saveria]

Yup when I try to take the eggs or give them more better nesting material, they puff up and sound like a screaming dinosaur. And they both look like pancakes.

That sounds like it.

 

[Saveria]

The way I know they are going broody and sticking with it is that they are sleeping in there every night instead of roosting. That is when I check that box.

 

[fluffycrow]

Yup, they're broody! GRATS!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My test to see if a hen is a committed broody and deserves hatching eggs is that she spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot. I consider all those other things as signs that she might be thinking about being broody, not that she is totally committed. From what you posted it sounds like they are,

It looks like you still have the eggs piled up from when you were on vacation. One time when I returned from vacation and the chicken sitter did not take the eggs like she was supposed to I found two hens on two different nests acting broody, each with over a dozen eggs. This was after dark. I removed those eggs so I could start collecting fresh eggs for them to hatch and neither went back to the nests. They were not that broody.

I wanted to start with fresh eggs to avoid a staggered hatch. Since you were gone and don't know what was going on, the other hens were probably adding eggs even after they went broody, if they really are. I want all the eggs started together so they will hatch together, staggered hatches are too stressful to me and are often not that successful.

It sounds like you want them to be broody. From my experience I'd mark 3 or 4 eggs under each hen an remove the rest. Start collecting fresh eggs, removing them every day. When you have all you want to hatch mark them and start them all at the same time, removing the previously marked eggs. Then check under them daily after the others have laid and remove any that don't belong. By then you should know that they really are broody and you can avoid a staggered hatch.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

The way I know they are going broody and sticking with it is that they are sleeping in there every night instead of roosting. That is when I check that box.

Ok I'll be sure to do that.