Broody hen questions

[Sammysmom]

My Buff Orp hen laid an egg yesterday with a "leathery" type shell. She tried to sit on it and of course it broke and made a mess.

I managed to get her off the nest (she kept trying to peck my hand) and got the nest cleaned. Today she is back in the nest and, after more attacks to my glove, I was able to see that she has a regular hard shelled egg underneath her. I had been collecting eggs for the incubator but now I'm wondering if I should just put the eggs I've collected so far under her. Also, when would be the best time to do that? Should I wait until after dark? This is the first time I've had a hen go broody and would appreciate any advice.

Oh, one more question....I recently put some 8 week old red sex link chicks in the coop. The other chickens can see them but can't get to them. Could this have triggered her to go broody?

 

[Wildsky]

Let her sit on that egg for a little while, put your eggs in the bator and if she's still sitting in say 3 or 4 days, then give her the eggs from the incubator.

Make sure you keep your hand OVER the egg as you put it in (I put them in at the chest area of the hen) keep your hand OVER it so when she pecks for you she doesn't break the egg!

I just had a hatch doing that same thing - let my BO sit a couple of days and then gave her the eggs, the eggs had been in the incubator a while already, almost two weeks - guinea eggs so they still had about two weeks to go. (first baby hatched last night)

 

[Toast n Jelly]

What I would do is just place the egg in front of her and if she's truly broody she'll roll it under her. I would get my incubator running just in case she gives up early though. Any time will do to place them with her.

As for your 2nd question....I'm not sure but that could possibly have triggered her.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
I'm not sure thats "proof" of being broody - some of my hens do that just to lay their own, they'll sit on whatever egg is there at the time, then finaly lay their own.

 

[Wildsky]

On the second question - I don't think so. I added babies to my coop about 10 weeks ago and nobody went broody, I had one broody and she hatched her baby - nobody else got broody for a while, now I have one hen with a tiny baby and two broody's (hatching babies today)

I think its more of a hormonal trigger and not much to do with anything they see.