Broody but not?

[justaboy]

No chest feathers, biting, not puffing up, sitting on eggs for a couple hours then being off, not laying but not committing. I need her to commit so I can do the Halloween hatch-a-long! Anything I can do to help her?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Is she spending the night in the nesting box at all? Typically when they start spending the night in the nesting box, and I can't peel them away from it for a few minutes, I know they're serious. How old is she?

 

[justaboy]

Is she spending the night in the nesting box at all? Typically when they start spending the night in the nesting box, and I can't peel them away from it for a few minutes, I know they're serious. How old is she?

2/12 years old, I put her in there overnight and open it in the morning. She doesn’t actively choose to be in there at night.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

2/12 years old, I put her in there overnight and open it in the morning. She doesn’t actively choose to be in there at night.

Ok, if she's not going in there by choice, then she's not serious. Has she ever been broody before? I've found with my brooders they tend to start 'talking broody' before they actually sit. Has she done that yet?

 

[justaboy]

Ok, if she's not going in there by choice, then she's not serious. Has she ever been broody before? I've found with my brooders they tend to start 'talking broody' before they actually sit. Has she done that yet?

Twice this spring and once last fall, she definitely yells at me but doesn’t get puffy and bites at my “broody stick” which is what I use to handle them since my hands are always attacked.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Twice this spring and once last fall, she definitely yells at me but doesn’t get puffy and bites at my “broody stick” which is what I use to handle them since my hands are always attacked.

Ok, so she just might need some time. Give her some "dummy" eggs and leave them in her favorite nesting box and hopefully that'll encourage her to sit. Just give her time and don't sit anything under her until she's been proven serious for a good few days or week.

 

[justaboy]

Ok, so she just might need some time. Give her some "dummy" eggs and leave them in her favorite nesting box and hopefully that'll encourage her to sit. Just give her time and don't sit anything under her until she's been proven serious for a good few days or week.

she already has the dummy eggs and is sitting on them nicely I’m worried about her getting scared from the huge thunderstorm we’re having right now. I can’t even relax

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

she already has the dummy eggs and is sitting on them nicely I’m worried about her getting scared from the huge thunderstorm we’re having right now. I can’t even relax

If she's serious, then she should sit right through it.

 

[redinator]

From what I understand you can't make a pullet/hen go broody. I discovered mine was broody when she gathered the three fake eggs into one pile. They were spaced out in one long nestbox before she gathered them. I gave her a week of sitting on the fake eggs before letting her start to incubate fertile eggs.

She'll either commit, or she won't, there's not much you can do to change that. I wouldn't shut her in because it could make her nervous.

 

[justaboy]

From what I understand you can't make a pullet/hen go broody. I discovered mine was broody when she gathered the three fake eggs into one pile. They were spaced out in one long nestbox before she gathered them. I gave her a week of sitting on the fake eggs before letting her start to incubate fertile eggs.

She'll either commit, or she won't, there's not much you can do to change that. I wouldn't shut her in because it could make her nervous.

Her sister ended up committing last night actually. Full puffiness and everything, I’m gonna give it another night and hope for the best.