broody hen with only 1 egg? *~*UPDATE*~*

[chasehope]

I finally have my very first broody hen of the year, I have been taking all of the eggs away, because we have an egg eater in that pen, and yesterday my splash silkie hen has decided that it is HER egg and I am NOT taking it from her. So I left it alone, and today she is still there with her 1 egg. My question is, will she continue to lay more eggs, or will she just be hatching 1? I have never had one try to hatch 1 egg, so any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[CarriBrown]

Once they go broody like that, they stop laying. You can either break her of the broodiness (I hear it's pretty hard with Silkies) or let her hatch the one egg.

 

[chasehope]

maybe I will just give her some polish or cochin eggs to hatch, since they don't seem to want to do it themselves, then I wouldn't have to incubate them!!!

Thanks

 

[Whirlwind]

Hi my banty went broody with only 1 egg last week. If you have some fertile eggs you can slip more under her if you want to. Or try to get her over it. Mine sat on the empty nest after I took her egg away for 2 days. Finally I found some fertile eggs to put under her. Now the wait is on. Good luck.

 

[CarriBrown]

Quote:
Good idea! She would probably love that.

 

[chasehope]

Okay, so I gave her 2 more eggs, which made for a total of 3 eggs, 2 days later she had 4 eggs, and now its been a week and she has 7 eggs!!! I thought that she would quit laying? She is in a pen with only a rooster (Yes I am sure its a roo) and noone else can get in there. Is this normal? Will she stay on the nest until they are all hatching? She has them in a dog house, by her choice, so no worry about them falling out. I guess that my question is should I leave them all with her, or take them out before they are due to hatch? I still have a couple of weeks, but want to give them all a fair chance! Thanks

 

[CarriBrown]

Well, now you have me all confused!!! Darn hen! Well, I suppose you can let her hatch them all.... If she has trouble you can take her babies out until she's done hatching all the eggs then give her babies back.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

I just read on another thread where someone said the chicken obviously didn't read the chicken manual.. (was that you, carri?? i can't remember who..)

anyhoo- sounds like another hen that didn't do her reading! How are we supposed to manage when they don't follow the rules??

Good luck on the hatch, ChaseHope!

 

[chasehope]

hopefully she is better at hatching eggs than I am!!! I am on day 22 and so far nothing from my eggs in the house! I am SO SAD. I was so excited abouth this group of eggs. I can't understand why they haven't hatched yet? Everything went perfect this time, temp was perfect and humidity was perfect. Maybe they are just late? Who knows.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Don't give up yet! Give them another day or two. Maybe they're just sleeping in.