Broody hen?

[UKchooks]

So, as background, I have 3 hens (hybrid layers) and no rooster, so no chance of actually hatching anything!

The last couple of days, one of my hens has been spending most of her time in the nest. She comes out for breakfast first thing in the morning with her sisters, but when I go back an hour or two later to give treats, collect the eggs and clean the coop, she's gathered everyone's eggs under her and is sitting on them, calling softly to herself. She lets me take the eggs from under her without a fuss, but stays in the nest box a couple more hours, still making this soft clucking sound. Eventually she seems to realise there's no eggs and she rejoins the other two, only to repeat again the next day.

Is she broody, or could she be ill? I checked her over and she seems fine (clean vent, feet fine, eating fine at breakfast and running around happily when she eventually ventures out). And if she is broody, what should I do, other than keeping on taking the eggs?

Thanks

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Sounds like she’s trying to go broody but you’re stopping it with the collecting.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Yes it does may look on ebay for some hatching eggs but chances are she will go broody at other times other way put them wire crate suspend the crate so air will go under her this can take a few days

 

[aart]

How old is she?
She may be 'pre-broody'.
Keep taking the eggs and tossing her out of nest might 'break her'.

Here some behaviors that can confirm or deny:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, doesn't she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[UKchooks]

Thanks for replies

Well, she's now stopped trying to 'sit'... but yesterday I had a surprise - FOUR eggs! From three hens! I didn't even know that was possible!

We had three eggs every day up until yesterday, and three again today, so it wasn't either a missed one from a previous day or an 'early' one from today.

Any chance that could explain her behaviour? Me finding the four eggs seems to coincide with her no longer wanting to stay in the nest...

 

[pennyJo1960]

One maybe was covered the day before have had that

 

[UKchooks]

One maybe was covered the day before have had that

Nope, we've had three eggs every single day since they all started laying a couple of months ago, so no chance of it being a 'missing' one that just turned up. Someone definitely laid two in one day!

 

[aart]

Her time in the nest could have been a prelude to her laying today.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Eventually she seems to realise there's no eggs and she rejoins the other two, only to repeat again the next day.

Collecting eggs will NOT stop a hen from going broody. They will brood air if they are going to.

A broody hen will stay in the nest at night as well. Not all hens who stay in a nest at night are broody though.

It's possible your second egg could be part of the reason for her return. It's also possible she got bored and left and came back later to lay her egg. Or that you went in too early to collect the egg she had recently laid... they don't always leave the nest right away. And some can take hours to lay.

For future reference, if she does go broody in the future.. you can often adopt very young chicks to a broody hen by tucking under her at night. Here in the US our feed stores start getting them in every week this time of year. And they are usually even sexed so you don't have to deal with any roosters hatching.

Glad your gals are cranking the eggs out for you! Young layers can do that sometimes. And lighting can effect this.

 

[UKchooks]

Thanks very much for the detailed replies

Yes, I was confused by her behaviour as she was spending much longer than usual in the nest box, hours and hours and not coming out for treats (which is most unlike her!), but not showing other signs of broodiness. But I guess this 'egg-stra' surprise was the reason!

Yes, I'm very impressed with my girls' egg-laying capabilities! No supplementary lighting either! I know they'll slow down after a year or two though, so trying not to get too used to it!