"Broody" hen but she is no longer laying any eggs.

[CBarrett]

I have a small cochin mixed breed that has laid eggs faithfully for the past 9 or 10 months that has become suddenly broody, (sitting in her nest all day/night) but has not laid any eggs for approximately 2 weeks. Should I be concerned that she may be egg-bound? If so, is there something I need to do for her? She is not currently molting, so I don't think that is the problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kadjain]

When hens go broody they stop laying eggs. Has she been broody for the 2 weeks she hasn't been laying?

 

[lclough1998]

You need to put some fertile eggs under her as soon as possible and let her set. We always take the broody hens off the nest at least once a day to allow them to eat, drink, poop, dust bathe and scratch. I don't think you can tell when they are going to go broody, but we collect our eggs every day and then one day they go broody, in our experience, they lay a day or two after they actually start to set. They lay as many eggs as they want to set on, each day going about their business, then when they are ready, they set on all the eggs so they all hatch in the same 1 or 2 day period (21 days). If the eggs are fertile they will start to develop when the hen sest continually keeping them warm and turning them.

edited to say this is kind of confusing, you have collected her eggs prior to her going broody, so now you need to give her some back

 

[CBarrett]

When hens go broody they stop laying eggs. Has she been broody for the 2 weeks she hasn't been laying?

Yes... we may have removed an egg or two that she was laying on at first, and she hasn't laid any since. She has been setting on an empty nest every day for two weeks. Should I put some eggs back under her??

 

[InsaneChicken]

Yes... we may have removed an egg or two that she was laying on at first, and she hasn't laid any since. She has been setting on an empty nest every day for two weeks. Should I put some eggs back under her??

I had two silkies that went broody and quit laying. I gave both of them a few eggs and I got a few chicks out of it! I'd give it a shot. I'd mark them though... Just in case she somehow ends up getting more eggs than what she had before.

 

[Kadjain]

If you have fertile eggs I would definitely recommend putting some under her. The broodiness comes from a strong hormone in the hens and who knows how long she will sit on air hoping for some eggs to hatch and raise.
Like '98 said you want to make sure she gets off the nest once a day although I've never had to do it myself. But I always watch them and make sure I see them do it. If you don't see her getting off check around her area for huge piles of chicken poop. If you see that you know she is at least getting off to relieve herself. If you don't see it check the eggs because she might have done it on them.
I have a super Silky mom who is on her second nest and her first chicks are just 5 months old. She is the best brooder mom who meets me when I come with the feed, then she is under the pump house for a dust bath, hits the buckets to chugs her water for the day, a little exercise looking for bugs and back on the nest in about 10 mins. She is super fun to watch.

 

[Ole rooster]

The last BO I have went broody. She layed 2 eggs in the nest and quit. I took those two eggs out and put in 4 eggs I want to hatch. They are at 21 days monday. I don't want anymore BO's around here so she's gone as soon as the chicks are hatched. The other BO that went broody didn't lay again till nearly a month after she rejected to younguns she hatched. That was at 9 weeks.