Broody hen consistently breaking eggs?

[Oncoming Storm]

I don’t know what the deal is, but broken eggs keep showing up around the nest. She is the only hen in this area so they’re not someone else’s. She’s also kicked a handful out. There is currently a loose dog problem and I wondered if she was like...leaving a sacrifice or something. She is very broody and won’t accept chicks. She’s never been an egg eater and successfully hatched a clutch last season. I will say she sat on WAY too many and several were broken. Is she trying to avoid this by thinning out the herd? I’m not really sure what’s going on...

 

[sourland]

I doubt that she's tossing eggs voluntarily. Something is bugging her especially if she is an experienced mother.

 

[aart]

I will say she sat on WAY too many and several were broken. Is she trying to avoid this by thinning out the herd? I’m not really sure what’s going on...

Have you let her set and that many eggs before?
She may be trying to tell you something
How long has she been setting?
Maybe the eggs tossed were not viable?

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Have you let her set and that many eggs before?
She may be trying to tell you something
How long has she been setting?
Maybe the eggs tossed were not viable?

That time, she went broody and sat on the most popular nest. She’s not a very friendly broody so we didn't move her.
She’s been sitting for a couple weeks. At first the broken/kicked out eggs were showing up like one a day and then she stopped for a while until yesterday. I haven’t seen her current clutch but it was pretty hefty last time I saw it.

 

[aart]

I haven’t seen her current clutch but it was pretty hefty last time I saw it.

Ida managed the number of eggs as soon as she started setting.
Power thru the nasty, they get over it....make 'friends'.
Did the eggs just pile up then she sat them,
or did you give her some fresh fertile eggs all at once to avoid a staggered hatch?
Hopefully the nest is not covered with broken egg contents.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Ida managed the number of eggs as soon as she started setting.
Power thru the nasty, they get over it....make 'friends'.
Did the eggs just pile up then she sat them,
or did you give her some fresh fertile eggs all at once to avoid a staggered hatch?
Hopefully the nest is not covered with broken egg contents.

We didn’t know she was sitting for a while. She went missing for about a week and we had some bad storms come through so we didn’t get a good chance to look for her. About a week later we found her in the brush pile all broody. I’m not sure exactly how long she’s been sitting, I just estimate on how long she was “missing” before we found her.

 

[aart]

We didn’t know she was sitting for a while. She went missing for about a week and we had some bad storms come through so we didn’t get a good chance to look for her. About a week later we found her in the brush pile all broody. I’m not sure exactly how long she’s been sitting, I just estimate on how long she was “missing” before we found her.

So she's sitting a nest out in the brush?
Might be a predator then tossing those eggs?

 

[Oncoming Storm]

So she's sitting a nest out in the brush?
Might be a predator then tossing those eggs?

That’s what I was wondering. I thought maybe she was leaving an offering of a few of her eggs so that dog that animal control doesn’t care enough about to get will leave her and the majority of her clutch alone. She is dug in pretty deep in that pile. I mean, we looked in there and it took us three days of searching the pile to find her.