Broody hen ate an egg

[SweetieChicken234]

I know for a fact the broody ate this egg. She has been on the nest in the coop by herself. I locked the rest of the flock in the run to use the other coop. It's been raining and windy here. No one, no chicken and no pests could get in. I found a shell piece earlier when I removed the broody from her nest. I didn't count the eggs until tonight when I went to candle them.

So here's the question.
Why? This broody has been serious about sitting. I've removed her from her nest to eat, drink, poop, dust bath once or twice a day. She has been a timid broody. She runs from the other hens and rooster and when he crows she gets distracted from eating or drinking. I've had to isolate her because the other hens kept kicking her off the nest to lay eggs. Getting her to focus on eating and drinking has been hard. She runs back to the nest quickly or gets involved in a dust bath.

Does this mean she will eat her chicks? Should I put some eggs in the incubator just in case she eats another and possibly only hatches a single egg? There were 8 eggs. Now there are 7. This is day 7 today of her brooding. All remaining eggs are viable and moving.

 

[DobieLover]

Does this mean she will eat her chicks?

No, it doesn't.

It is instinctive for birds to get rid of bad eggs. So it is highly likely that the egg was no good. If the rest are viable, now you can watch to see that 6 eggs remain in the nest. However, you'd have to candle daily (not advisable) to know if there was a quitter she feels she needs to get rid of.

At this point, I would not be concerned at all about it. Especially because you have been managing her by forcing her off the nest to go take care of herself for a few minutes.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

No, it doesn't.

It is instinctive for birds to get rid of bad eggs. So it is highly likely that the egg was no good. If the rest are viable, now you can watch to see that 6 eggs remain in the nest. However, you'd have to candle daily (not advisable) to know if there was a quitter she feels she needs to get rid of.

At this point, I would not be concerned at all about it. Especially because you have been managing her by forcing her off the nest to go take care of herself for a few minutes.

Ok. I did candle them 2 or 3 days ago and all except 1 looked great. I was questioning one of them so perhaps that's why. I wasn't sure if she was just very hungry. She has been difficult to keep interested in food and water. I trust she knows how much to eat and drink.

 

[DobieLover]

She has been difficult to keep interested in food and water.

They build up a reserve of body fat in the "I'm thinking about become broody" phase. And they are sedentary for 23.5 hours a day so don't require as many calories.

I trust she knows how much to eat and drink.

She does.

Do you have a water source for her near the nest? That is the one thing that I always keep within reach of the nest in case it gets really hot.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

They build up a reserve of body fat in the "I'm thinking about become broody" phase. And they are sedentary for 23.5 hours a day so don't require as many calories.

She does.

Do you have a water source for her near the nest? That is the one thing that I always keep within reach of the nest in case it gets really hot.

It has been extremely hot here. Couple days ago 109. We have some tropical rain system going on over us now so it's been much cooler and finally a little rain. Due to the design of my nesting trough I can't put water within reach but I put food and water inside the coop for her as soon as she comes down the ramp. Just a few steps away. This poor hen was never a big hen. She's actually more on the thin side now and she's only 7 days in with these eggs. That's why I try so hard to get food into her. Sometimes I hand feed her while she sits in the nest. I'm doing my best to support her efforts.

She seemed to have become broody suddenly. I hatched chicks and I took her baby chick to see her. He peeped at her and she just kept staring at him. It was like a light bulb went off in her head. Next day she was broody. I feel like I triggered her.

 

[DobieLover]

I feel like I triggered her.

Hormones triggered her.