Are they broody?

[Caeleen Holmes]

My chickens keep sharing nests, all sitting on the nest at the same time. We do have a rooster, so the eggs are more than likely fertile.Today all the chickens are in the coop, refusing to come out! I am not too sure what to do. They are normally completely free range only cooping themselves in the evenings. Do I just leave them? We would love to have baby chicks. I tried previously to move the broody hen and the eggs to a coop flat on the ground but that just caused the hen to leave the eggs to go cold. There were 13 in the clutch. I am not sure how many are in the clutch at the moment, as she never leaves the nest for me to check!! Some help and advice would be most appreciated!

 

[krista74]

Hi there, and welcome!

I would think that if you have a hen sitting on a bunch of eggs, refusing to get off the nest, fluffing up her feathers and grizzling when you come near her, and doesn't get up for a couple of days, you probably have a broody.

I am not vastly experienced with these things, but my first broody is on Day 14 now, and when I first tried to pry her off her nest she screamed the house down and fought her way back there more times than I could count. In the end, her will was stronger than mine!

I checked her out the next day and she had plucked every feather out from under her neck to her vent. This was enough to convince me she was serious!

All you can do is test her out for a couple of days. If she is still sitting after that you might like to give her a broody box to sit in where the others can't get to her. She will need her own food and water, and a little space to get up and stretch.

If she is truly broody she will only get off the nest to eat, drink, stretch and poop. I will fore-warn you that broody poop is like no other poop you have ever come across!

She will probably only get off the nest when she is left alone. I have only once seen my girl off the nest!

You may also like to put a little dusting powder into her nest to protect her from mites and lice too.

Good luck!

- Krista