Broody Hen just ousted!

[Nicki Hemby]

I am new to BYCing. We have 4 hens that are 16 months old and happy. We just received 6 fertilized eggs in the mail and I placed them under my brooder. HOWEVER, a hen that NEVER broods, immediately went into the coop as if she knew something as up.

I picked her up and took her out, she only goes in coop to lay, she even sleeps on the fence at night, and she returned to the inside of the nesting area.

I left them alone, thinking she was curious, only to return an hour later and find our broody he, kicked out of the nesting box and this unassuming hen brooding the new eggs.

My question is....clearly she knows they are new eggs, or does she instinctively know they are fertilized?

Will she crack the eggs on purpose?

Will my original brooder what her spot back?

Soooo many questions...lol

Can anyone help?

 

[itspebbl]

Okay, here goes...
No, she cannot know whether or not they are fertilized from the outside appearance. Truly broody hens will sometimes even brood nothing or non-egg objects, so it doesn't really matter to them how many there are or whether or not they are fertilized.
The hen probably won't break the eggs on purpose unless she's an egg eater.
Your original broody will still be broody, most likely. The hen who came in to the nest box later may just be laying an egg, which can take quite a while. If she's really broody, she will pluck her belly feathers and even sleep in the nest box.
Sorry if this is confusing

 

[Nicki Hemby]

VERY HELPFUL!!!
Thank you