Broody black australorpe

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

So my hen stormy has gone broody from what i can tell. I went to close down the coop last night and found her in the favorite nest box all fluffed up around an egg. She did let me take the egg but today she was pretty hesitant.

We don’t have a rooster so i need to continue to gather our eggs.

How long will this last?

I am kind of tempted to put some fertilized eggs under her to see what happens. If i do about how many would be logical?

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

And will she continue to late eggs while she is sitting on the others?

 

[21hens-incharge]

While sitting on eggs they do not continue to lay.

If giving her eggs to hatch I would go with around 8.

Other hens needing to lay will often push a broody out of the way to put their eggs in THAT box.

It is very upsetting to the broody and she may switch nests often.

Many people make a space in the coop to contain the broody hen and any chicks she hatches to keep others from being a pest.

Then there is the option of having a small coop with a small run to sequester the broody while she sets.

Each flock and each hen are unique. You just have to figure out what works for her.

 

[silkieRaiser]

Sadly, she will not lay while broody. As for how long she is broody, it really depends on the chicken. My silkies will stay broody from anything to three days to multiple months. It's important to check on them to make sure they are still eating, and take them off the nest and put them near the food/water at least once a day. Give her a week or two just to make sure she is committed before getting her eggs. As for how many to get her, how many do you have now and what are you keeping them in?
This is just from a pretty inexperienced chicken owner, only hatched a few chicks. I probably left something out or got something wrong so do some research before committing to hatching chicks.