Broody hen behavior

[trudyg]

I have 16 1-week old chicks in the garage, 4 hens and a rooster in the coop. There are 2 nest boxes in the coop, but they only use one of them. Now, Bertha has decided to take up residence in that nest box. She has 4 real and 2 ceramic eggs under her. Is there a way for me to tell if she is truly broody or just hanging out there? She comes out first thing when the pop door opens, eats and drinks, then goes back in for the day.

Also, what about the other 3 hens. They don't want to lay in the second nest box--I haven't found more than 1 egg a day for a week now. The one egg I do get is laid on the floor, back in the corner where I'm wanting to put the chicks. When this egg is laid, it always gets a crack. There is hay on the floor, she just scratches it away and egg lands on the floor.

I have a chicken tractor nearby and I opened the door to it, so I'm hoping that the hens start to lay in there. At least the ground would be softer (pine straw in there). I'm having to hunt daily in case they lay under a bush or something and I want the chicks in the big coop already and out of the garage.

I think my rooster is poking his head in there at her, since he's had blood on his comb the last 2 mornings. Will the other girls climb in there with her and lay? I'll have to find out why they don't like the other nest (closer to the door).
Any thought?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Will the other girls climb in there with her and lay?

You bet they will... if they are high enough on the pecking order to not care about her disputing their presence. That's why it's important for eggs that are hatching to be clearly marked, so the new ones can be collected daily.

Yes, she is broody if she only comes out to eat once or twice a day and tries frantically to get back to the nest if you remove her.

One week, your chicks are too old for adoption. (6 days has been my absolute MAX) So if you aren't gonna be able to give her some or don't need anymore... I would break her, by locking her away from the nest... so my other girls can continue laying where they SHOULD.

Yes, even in my lay boxes... they scratch away the center bedding.

 

[chickengirl778]

Sometimes they will just all pick a box they like and refuse the others. Perhaps they don't like the light and wind from the door? It sounds like she's broody. Does she make a funny sound and puff up when you look at her or has she plucked all the feathers off her belly? Those are other broody symptoms.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Oh ya... after a few days it can also be indicated by them puffing up and squealing loudly at you.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

when you look at her or has she plucked all the feathers off her belly?

All good clues you mention...

I am broody OVER loaded ALL the time and MOST my girls do not pluck their bellies. But a few definitely do.

One of my Marans even got the opposite of mean and became subdued so I initially thought she was egg bound. After a quick violation and realization that she was just an individual.. I quickly adopted her some chicks!

Point being... lots of good clues but your mileage may vary.

 

[trudyg]

Thanks. No feathers missing from her breast and she'll peck me if i try to get any eggs, but she's not particularly mean about it. What I noticed is that she's really spread out, flatter if you will, more so than when one is hiding in the nest box from a rowdy rooster. I hadn't planned on giving her the new chicks, I never expected her to go broody. I just had a space blocked off for the new babies and, with one laying eggs in there, don't want to upset things more than they are. I think I'll partition off a smaller area for anyone to lay who wants to and set up the bigger sectioned-off area for the new chicks. Then they can all be happy. I guess I'll mark all the eggs under her and leave them, even if they aren't at the same incubation time and then pull any newer ones from her daily. I don't mind if she hatches some, I just never expected it. She's a black sex link at around 18 months old.

 

[trudyg]

So she spent a third night in the nest box. Should I set up the dog crate around her with food and water so she can step out, do her business etc, and go back in? That would stop the other girls from laying in there and then having to fish out the out-of sync eggs. I'm getting ready to put the chicks out there, hopefully tonight, and can get her set up at the same time. The others will then have to lay in a new spot, but it doesn't appear that I'm getting more than the one cracked egg a day anyway.

 

[trudyg]

Bertha has been in the nest box now for 5 nights. I set up a dog crate so she has food, water, and a place to poop so that the other chickens cannot get in with her. That has worked out well and they are laying in the other nest box that they didn't like before. But--I set the crate up Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning I took her out some scrambled egg and it was obvious that she had not come out of the nest yet. Wednesday evening, same thing--not eaten or drank and no poops. She was alert, tho, when I reached in to touch her and pecked me. This morning, Thursday, same thing. No poop and no obvious food or water missing. A bit of her egg looked like it had been eaten but I can't imagine eating and not pooping. Should I pull her out and feel if she's egg bound? She did not feel like she was when I felt her on Sunday evening. I haven't moved her since then, even to mark eggs, because I didn't want her screeching at me and pecking, but I will if I need to see she's okay.

 

[trudyg]

I just started asking questions under the Broody Hen thread. I think this was the wrong place for my questions.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I just started asking questions under the Broody Hen thread. I think this was the wrong place for my questions.

She would be dead if she was egg bound by now... she is broody. Also, the squealing and pecking will come in phases. Closer to hatching the meaner she might get. Each one will be an individual though with their behavior.

Their metabolism slows way down to accommodate sitting so they don't poop on their eggs. They only come out to eat or drink and poop once maybe twice per day and it's usually when they feel the least threat, say weather wise.

She is broody, make NO mistake. Though some breeds are known for it and others are not, a friend had a red sex link sit and hatch and raise chicks successfully. And I even saw another thread with a broody leghorn sitting in a flower pot!

Sorry it took a while to reply, I get lost easily with so many threads. Please if you need any help that I can offer, either quote me or tag me by using @ in front of my user name.