Brooding???

[jotebo]

My Black Australorp has been sitting in the nesting box for 2 days. When a shoo her out she will go to eat but then right back in. We have no rooster, just 2 hens. Is this brooding? She started laying about 6 weeks ago and has laid an egg everyday since until now. What do I do? Her vent is not moist.
My other hen, a Buff Orpington laid an egg this morning and the Australorp sat on it. Since I know my Buff laid an egg I closed off the nesting box. Was this the right thing to do? Help!

 

[Johnn]

Sounds like she is broody. Is she clucking when she walks around and how does she react when you touch her when she is on the nest? If she is broody, you can rather break her, buy day olds or buy hatching eggs. Methods of breaking her include locking her out of the hen house all day, leaving the nest box open all day to make her feel uncomfortable as the light will be on her or you can use the method which I dont like which is to put her in a wire mesh cage raised from the floor with nothing but food and water in and leave her for a few days.

 

[jotebo]

She seemed pretty normal. When I took the cover off the nesting box she just sat there all poofed. Maybe it was my fault. I went away for a few days and the eggs weren't collected until evening. Could that of made her go broody? I think I'm gonna keep the coop closed off until this evening and see if that works.

 

[Johnn]

She seemed pretty normal. When I took the cover off the nesting box she just sat there all poofed. Maybe it was my fault. I went away for a few days and the eggs weren't collected until evening. Could that of made her go broody? I think I'm gonna keep the coop closed off until this evening and see if that works.

If she was puffed up then she most likely is but would be easier to tell if she has other signs. Have you checked to make sure she isn't egg bound? And yes leaving the eggs uncollected will tempt her as its a clutch for her to sit on. Collecting them more frequently will prevent them going broody, but if she wants to go broody, she will. Both of your breeds of hens are broody breeds I think (I know BO's are).

 

[jotebo]

Thank you John. How do I check to see if she is egg bound? What do I do if she is?

 

[Johnn]

Thank you John. How do I check to see if she is egg bound? What do I do if she is?

Just feel around her vent for an egg and see if her vent is pulsing. If we find out that she is egg bound I will find out the best method from my friend as I only know the basics on it as I haven't experienced it yet!

 

[jotebo]

Her vent is not pulsating. I closed the door to the coop so she couldn't go in and had the cover off the nesting box that sticks out the side of the coop. This evening when I went to open the coop so they could go in for the night, she was in the nesting box! She had jumped up to get into it. Tomorrow she will go in the
wire cage......

 

[bobbi-j]

She sounds broody to me. If you wanted to get more chicks this year, it's an ideal time. Put a few eggs under her, let her set on them for a few weeks, go to wherever they sell chicks in your neck of the woods, and one night swap out the eggs and replace them with chicks. That way you'll have pullets who will lay throughout the winter when your current hens take a vacation!

If you don't want fresh chicks this year, then do what you've gotta do. Personally, I get excited when I get a broody! (I think my BLRW is broody right now - she's getting a dozen eggs tomorrow!) Oh, and not collecting eggs will not make your chicken go broody. Hormones do. They suddenly kick in, and all they know is that they have to sit.

 

[Johnn]

She sounds broody to me. If you wanted to get more chicks this year, it's an ideal time. Put a few eggs under her, let her set on them for a few weeks, go to wherever they sell chicks in your neck of the woods, and one night swap out the eggs and replace them with chicks. That way you'll have pullets who will lay throughout the winter when your current hens take a vacation!

If you don't want fresh chicks this year, then do what you've gotta do. Personally, I get excited when I get a broody! (I think my BLRW is broody right now - she's getting a dozen eggs tomorrow!) Oh, and not collecting eggs will not make your chicken go broody. Hormones do. They suddenly kick in, and all they know is that they have to sit.

I've always been told that a lot of eggs in the nest box is encouraging and I have always found that to be true. If I want a broody I start collecting the eggs every few days then after a week I usually always have one. I also get excited when I have broodies, I have one now but I'm not too chuffed about it because she will sit another 2 times like last year because shes doing it so early! She still has a few eggs though!

 

[jotebo]

I'm a Micro Back Yard Chicken Keeper. All I can have are my 2 hens, no babies can be in our future I guess I will have to try the wire cage