My two year old Black Copper Marans was laying pretty consistently last year, dropped off in the fall as expected and picked up in the spring. Since May she has been sporadic in laying, only once every week two then maybe 2-3 a week. Lately she has been spending a lot of time on the nest on eggs that aren't even hers.
That means she is going broody, right?
3 days ago we decided to let her sit on the eggs. She is sitting on 8, one is hers.
Will she continue to lay? She is on the nest frequently, but not as much as I would expect a broody to be. She is normally very skittish, but she has to be physically lifted off the nest to get the eggs. She isn't mean about being moved either. I thought they don't spend a lot of time on the nest box until they are done laying a clutch.
The 5 hens share a "double wide" partition-less next box, I haven't had any issues with laying outside the box, but I think Big Mama is grabbing eggs off the other side to sit on. What's the best way to mark the eggs that she is sitting on?
I am totally new to the whole broody thing. I have only used an incubator in the past.
The flock is at my mom's house, so a lot of observations are second hand.
Help!
That means she is going broody, right?
3 days ago we decided to let her sit on the eggs. She is sitting on 8, one is hers.
Will she continue to lay? She is on the nest frequently, but not as much as I would expect a broody to be. She is normally very skittish, but she has to be physically lifted off the nest to get the eggs. She isn't mean about being moved either. I thought they don't spend a lot of time on the nest box until they are done laying a clutch.
The 5 hens share a "double wide" partition-less next box, I haven't had any issues with laying outside the box, but I think Big Mama is grabbing eggs off the other side to sit on. What's the best way to mark the eggs that she is sitting on?
I am totally new to the whole broody thing. I have only used an incubator in the past.
The flock is at my mom's house, so a lot of observations are second hand.
Help!