Broody Hen Thread!

[TiaRC]

Thank you! She has no I treat anymore. Not since I removed her clutch. Guess I'll wait ... How long does it usually take for them to lay again? I know they are all different.

Usually as long as it takes them to raise a brood. So anywhere between 4-9 weeks has been my experience

 

[ochochicas]

I had one broody that sat for 2 weeks (another hen started the eggs a week earlier). raised her chicks for 5 weeks, and laid an egg the same day she left them for good. it was exactly 36 days after the chicks had hatched.

 

[16 paws]

Thank you! She has no I treat anymore. Not since I removed her clutch. Guess I'll wait ... How long does it usually take for them to lay again? I know they are all different.

I think a couple of weeks at least from my experiences. And thank-you!
Marie

 

[sniffymonkey507]

A true broody will not lay.

how often do broody hens get up? there are sometimes eggs under my broody

 

[krista74]

It very much depends on the bird, but generally Broody Hens do not get up often. My first Broody only got up once every 3 days to poop, and she only ate and drank once a day, very early in the mornings before I visited the coop. In the whole 21 days, I only saw her off the nest twice, but her food was always nice and neat in the evening, and messed up in the mornings, so I knew what she was up to!

Broody #2 is currently on her nest of 10 eggs for 7 Days now (candling soon, woo hoo!) I have not seen her off the nest yet, but yesterday she turned around when she was alone so that when I went into the coop she was facing in the opposite direction on her nest! I think she did this so she could see our first Broody's chick when he came out to play.

I am a little confused about your post "Sometimes there are eggs under your broody." Whose eggs are they? Obviously if she is sitting she will have whatever you gave her to start with. Are other birds laying in her nest? If so, you really want to separate her from the others. A staggered hatch is not a good idea, as your hen will normally leave the nest after 24-36 hours with whatever chicks have already hatched, often leaving completely viable, yet younger eggs, unhatched in the nest.

If she is still laying it would suggest to me that she thinks she doesn't have enough eggs under her. Sometimes a Broody will keep adding to her clutch until she is satisfied she has a big enough group of eggs. This should not last for long though. A true Broody will not lay eggs anymore once she is sitting. When I put both my girls on their nests of eggs (11 in one, 10 in the other) neither one laid a single egg from the following day onwards.

Hope this helps answer your question? There is so much to learn isn't there?! Good luck with your girl,

- Krista

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

how often do broody hens get up? there are sometimes eggs under my broody

My Broody Hen Lollypop has been getting up off her eggs once a day, I have food & water for her, where she is nesting, but she is a first time Broody, and it is still warm here in Texas. She only gets up for about 10 - 20 minutes, and freaks out if the other hens get close to her nesting spot. She sat non-stop for 9 days before getting up off the nest.

 

[fisherlady]

how often do broody hens get up? there are sometimes eggs under my broody

Broodies will normally get off of the nest once a day or every other day for long enough to have a bit to eat and do their broody poo. I have a couple of hens who will move off of the nest to allow others to lay their eggs. Those hens then get back on the nest and try to keep the new eggs for their clutch. This is why it is important to mark the eggs which you want her to hatch.
If you have a hen you think is broody but you are finding eggs under her there are two possibilities....
1) she is newly broody and is still laying eggs to gather her clutch, she will set tight after she thinks she has enough.
2) she is simply continuing to gather eggs for her clutch from other hens, some hens just never think they have enough...

 

[sniffymonkey507]

It very much depends on the bird, but generally Broody Hens do not get up often. My first Broody only got up once every 3 days to poop, and she only ate and drank once a day, very early in the mornings before I visited the coop. In the whole 21 days, I only saw her off the nest twice, but her food was always nice and neat in the evening, and messed up in the mornings, so I knew what she was up to!

Broody #2 is currently on her nest of 10 eggs for 7 Days now (candling soon, woo hoo!) I have not seen her off the nest yet, but yesterday she turned around when she was alone so that when I went into the coop she was facing in the opposite direction on her nest! I think she did this so she could see our first Broody's chick when he came out to play.

I am a little confused about your post "Sometimes there are eggs under your broody." Whose eggs are they? Obviously if she is sitting she will have whatever you gave her to start with. Are other birds laying in her nest? If so, you really want to separate her from the others. A staggered hatch is not a good idea, as your hen will normally leave the nest after 24-36 hours with whatever chicks have already hatched, often leaving completely viable, yet younger eggs, unhatched in the nest.

If she is still laying it would suggest to me that she thinks she doesn't have enough eggs under her. Sometimes a Broody will keep adding to her clutch until she is satisfied she has a big enough group of eggs. This should not last for long though. A true Broody will not lay eggs anymore once she is sitting. When I put both my girls on their nests of eggs (11 in one, 10 in the other) neither one laid a single egg from the following day onwards.

Hope this helps answer your question? There is so much to learn isn't there?! Good luck with your girl,

- Krista

that makes sense beacuse we usually take the eggs from her. I think other ones might lay 1 while shes upor there all her.

 

[sniffymonkey507]

if you steal them do they just keep laying?
and how many can they lay aday?

 

[sniffymonkey507]

Broodies will normally get off of the nest once a day or every other day for long enough to have a bit to eat and do their broody poo. I have a couple of hens who will move off of the nest to allow others to lay their eggs. Those hens then get back on the nest and try to keep the new eggs for their clutch. This is why it is important to mark the eggs which you want her to hatch.
If you have a hen you think is broody but you are finding eggs under her there are two possibilities....
1) she is newly broody and is still laying eggs to gather her clutch, she will set tight after she thinks she has enough.
2) she is simply continuing to gather eggs for her clutch from other hens, some hens just never think they have enough...

we dont need to mark them beacuse none of ours are fertail