Broody Hen?? I'm really confused

[chickeneer45]

I have had my chickens for about seven months now and two of my chickens are relatively young and started laying eggs about a month or two ago. My third hen is the mother of one of the two chickens I just mentioned, and she has been laying for over a year. I have been hoping that I'd get a broody hen and that's what I thought I had gotten two days ago. One of the younger chickens had been laying on a clutch of seven eggs and she laid on them all through Sunday morning until Monday midday. When I came out to check on her on Monday, the other younger chicken had taken her spot and I can only assume that she was laying another egg because all three of my chickens lay in the same spot. So I am not sure if the other chicken kicked out my "broody" hen or if she wasn't even broody to begin with. So then, last night I went to check again as I was locking them up and the older hen was sitting on the eggs. She is still sitting on them now, but I am really confused, is she broody? Did she kick the other chicken off of the nest? Any answers would be great! And yes, the eggs are most likely fertile. Also, if she is broody, how many eggs should she be sitting on? (because I don't want her to get in over her head) Thanks again!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Broody hens stop laying. I wouldn't trust her with eggs unless she has been setting for a week (that is what I do anyway).

You may need to separate her and her eggs into a hutch or dog crate, letting her out once a day to stretch and poo (put food and water in with her), if you think she might get confused and go onto another nest, leaving her eggs to chill (that has happened to me a couple of times).

 

[chickeneer45]

Thank you. also, do you know how many eggs they are supposed to lay on?
and I should only isolate her if I think she will stop being broody?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thank you. also, do you know how many eggs they are supposed to lay on?
and I should only isolate her if I think she will stop being broody?

The hen decides when to become broody...isolating her is in my opinion just to help keep her on the right nest, to protect her from bully hens in the flock while she sits, or for some other reason I can't think of right now LOL.

A lot of people just leave the broody right in the coop sitting in the nest box.

I don't know how many eggs is optimal. The most I have done is 6. I did have a hen adopt new chicks from the feed store since she had hatched out 2 chicks just then. She sat on 10 chicks just fine.