I have not had chickens before, and I certainly have never been around a broody chicken before. Thankfully I recognized it from reading on this site! Now I have a whole list of questions,
1. I understand that a chicken will take other chickens eggs to have under her, how many do they take? I have a bantam that has taken everyone elses eggs, none of her own and is up to about 8 from what I can feel. All the eggs she is sitting on are standard, and she is a bantam, will this effect anything?
2. Is broody-ness contagious? The above mentioned bantam was first, and now, one of my white leghorns has gone into the same danged box and is laying on six eggs from what I can tell. Are they all going to crowd in there together?
3. Since they seem happy in the box they are using, should I move them?
4. Since there are hens sitting on eggs, will the other hens lay? The sitting hens are using "the communal laying place" so will the other hens lay somewhere else? Should I go put a golf ball or an egg out of the fridge in another place?
Thank you so much in advance for all the stellar advice I am going to get. Never in my life did I expect chicken parenting to be such an adventure.
Rachel
1. I understand that a chicken will take other chickens eggs to have under her, how many do they take? I have a bantam that has taken everyone elses eggs, none of her own and is up to about 8 from what I can feel. All the eggs she is sitting on are standard, and she is a bantam, will this effect anything?
2. Is broody-ness contagious? The above mentioned bantam was first, and now, one of my white leghorns has gone into the same danged box and is laying on six eggs from what I can tell. Are they all going to crowd in there together?
3. Since they seem happy in the box they are using, should I move them?
4. Since there are hens sitting on eggs, will the other hens lay? The sitting hens are using "the communal laying place" so will the other hens lay somewhere else? Should I go put a golf ball or an egg out of the fridge in another place?
Thank you so much in advance for all the stellar advice I am going to get. Never in my life did I expect chicken parenting to be such an adventure.
Rachel
