broody hen questions

[magichen]

right so my light sussex is a year and a bit old and shes been sitting on heer eggs for the last 4 hours i know its not long but im almost sure shes broody she is squaking at other hens when they try and lay near her or even if they/i go into the coop she fuffes up all her feathers and squakes back at me she will not leave the nest so i brought her some food and water....... this is my first broody hen and i would like to hatch out a few eggs ........ i have a few questions

1. is she broody???
2.if she is how many eggs could i fit under her???
3.i have a broody box . when should i move her there ???
4. she is now sitting on 6 golfballs should i swith them with eggs????

i really do hope shes broody

 

[aseelforsale]

Ii would say wait for a couple of more day until she fully sets into the broody mode, then put ur eggs under her but i would do it when it gets dark..the amount of eggs you place is dependent on the size of your hen and if she can cover them all.

 

[Judy]

I agree. One test a lot of people use is to make sure they stay on the golf balls overnight and not go to the roost. Then it's probaly safest to leve them in the brooody pen for 24 hours to be sure they settle down there. I wouldn't give her the real eggs, the ones to be hatched, til she settles down.

When broody they usually only get up once every 24 hours to eat and get some exercise, and they do need to move around some. I wouldn't put the food and water too close, to encourage this. I actually pick mine up and prod them to get some food and exercise once or twice a day, just to be sure. Generally they lose weight when broody, anyway.

 

[sumi]

Keep an eye on her for the next 2 days. If she stays put and sleeps in the nest box as well she is very likely broody and committed. Don't give her eggs before you are 100% sure though!
You can give her as many eggs as she can cover comfortably. Most standard size hens seem fine with up to 12 medium size eggs, so give her 9-10 and see if there's space left.
You could, but she may not take kindly to being moved and refuse to sit in the broody box. If you move her do it at night, so she'll wake up in the new location in the morning. And do it before giving her eggs, just in case.

 

[centrarchid]

Moving her will break broody cycle. A broody will stay in clutch at night. A day or two before broodiness truly sets in she will stay on nest for extended periods about time she deposits an egg.

 

[bobbi-j]

I have a hen that decided to go broody while we were gone last weekend. My mom was doing chores, and the hen wouldn't let her anywhere near. When we got home a few days later, she was still setting, so I collected one day's worth of eggs and stuck them under her. That was Monday. She's still sitting tight on 13 eggs. I had given her 14 to begin with, but when I checked later that night, one wasn't completely under her and felt cool, so I took that one away. I checked on her again in the morning to make sure she was covering all her eggs. I haven't touched her since. I won't bother a broody when she's on the nest. She knows when she's hungry or thirsty, and when she needs to poop. I'm able to keep my broody separate from the rest of the flock which works for me. I've had problems in the past when the other hens have had access to the same nest as a broody. Eggs get broken, or extra eggs end up in the nest. Keep us posted!

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure and mark your eggs you are setting with a sharpie or laundry marker with the date, in case someone lays an egg in her nest. This will also remind you when to expect chicks (I also put it on my calender.) You can tell if she is really broody by picking her up and carrying her out of the coop, and seeing if she runs back to her golf balls.

 

[magichen]

after sitting on the golfballs for 6 and a half hours she got up and walked away when i looked in the nest box the was loads of her fluffy withe tummy feathers in the nestbox ............................ she is also pulling out some if her feathers when shes out free ranging
does anyone know whats going on?/??? is she just thinking of going broody???

 

[Judy]

after sitting on the golfballs for 6 and a half hours she got up and walked away when i looked in the nest box the was loads of her fluffy withe tummy feathers in the nestbox ............................ she is also pulling out some if her feathers when shes out free ranging
does anyone know whats going on?/??? is she just thinking of going broody???

Maybe. Maybe her hormones are still in transition. Broodiness is a hormone change, so there are lots of variations. In the end there is not much to do but wait and see.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

My Broody has been sitting on eggs for 5 weeks, the first 3 weeks, I had the door to the smaller coop open, and hens were in & out laying eggs. I went out a few times a day to collect the eggs before Broody Mama snagged them. Just before week 3, Mama snagged a few eggs, so as the first set of eggs started to hatch, we took the chicks from her. She has only been off the nest twice, 10 - 15 minutes max. The first set of eggs hatched 4 chicks, they will be 3 weeks old on Tues, Wed. & Thurs. My hubby found a chick last night from the second hatch, and this morning, found a pipped eggs who was having problems zipping. It seems like the chicks who have the black feathers are having zipping issues, chick 3 & 4 from the first hatch, had shrink wrap issues, so I helped them out of their shells.
I put Broody Mama on lock down at 2 1/2 weeks, and keep her supplied with fresh food & water everyday, this is when we check to see if any chicks have hatched, she is good about letting my hubby pick her up to check the eggs under her.
Chick 1 & 4 have 4 toes, and chicks 2,3 & 5 have 5 toes like their Daddy is a Silkie.

Last year two of my Buff Orp went broody a week apart, the first had 4 out of 6 eggs hatch, and the second had 4 out of 5 eggs hatch. Both were moved a week after going broody in the main coop. Hubby grabbed the hen, I got the eggs, put them in their broody house & shut the door till the eggs started hatching. Everyday we brought them fresh food & water, they never tried to escape.