Broody Hens? Or just laying?

Toshi

Songster
8 Years
Jul 2, 2011
472
17
116
IN corn state
I am really confused on the behaviors of my hens, mainly two of them. Both are about a year old and keep growling at me when I reach in to get eggs.

First my SS hen was the one I first saw in the box, I would reach in, she would puff all up and get all mad at me, so I figured she was going broody or that she was. However, she still had all her feathers on her belly, and I read somewhere that they sometimes pluck them off. But she still had them. But either way I was excited because I have been wanting more chicks.

So about an hour later I went out and checked on her. She was still there. Then a few more hours later she was still there. I went out a bit ago to give them more feed and she was in the run with the others. I looked in and my PR was sitting in the box. I also read that two hens sometimes share the brooding time.

But what really has me confused and lost is the fact that both the hens leave the nest for a while, and then one or the other comes back. Now is this because the eggs are getting to hot and they are cooling them a bit? Or are they just not broody like I thought?

I am in my almost second year of having chickens, so I am fairly new at this. Any help would be great because I am so confused on how they are acting.
 
Ya, i was going to put up a little caged area in there for her, but she stopped being broody :( i was eally hoping for chicks tooo. Do you think she would go broody again?
 
That puffing up is a sure sign in our coop. I only had two Buff Orps, but one went broody almost all the time. It got so bad that if she laid an egg I got suspicious! Then of course, the other BO and her BFF would surely decide that was a grand idea and go broody herself. They never plucked their feathers. At first staying on the next overnight was the first sign I noticed, but after seeing this over and over I noticed that puffing up and cooing (that's what I called it) began before they settled on the nest for the duration. I finally let them hatch a batch of surrogate eggs and thy haven't been broody since.
 
Thats what i thought when i went to go touch her. She neve acted like that before, she even did the whole growling and giving nasty looks the whole nine yards. I was going to let her hatch the 8 eggs she was sitting on, but after a while she left them, they got cold and seems like she gave up. Have yours done that before? She was on the nest all day. From the time i let the out for the morning to about almost 6 that day.

Also, the eggs she was sitting on and gave up would they be safe to eat? Or better yet would the embory still be alive? Cuz if so, i know someone with a battor. But woudlnt they be dead after being so toasty then cold?
 
She went broody again!

This time i moved her to a place where she can be left alone, the other day i think the other girls botherd her to much or soemthing.

Now my question is, the eggs she was sitting on the day before, would they still be alive if some were fertial? They were left all night in the nest and got cold so would they be alive still or would life inside the egg be dead?
 
Thats what i thought when i went to go touch her. She neve acted like that before, she even did the whole growling and giving nasty looks the whole nine yards. I was going to let her hatch the 8 eggs she was sitting on, but after a while she left them, they got cold and seems like she gave up. Have yours done that before? She was on the nest all day. From the time i let the out for the morning to about almost 6 that day.

Also, the eggs she was sitting on and gave up would they be safe to eat? Or better yet would the embory still be alive? Cuz if so, i know someone with a battor. But woudlnt they be dead after being so toasty then cold?
The Buff Orps never gave up, ever. My Wyandottes never went broody long enough. Daphne only sat 2 weeks-- not nearly long enough, and Zinnia never spent more than a night on the nest. Can't count that as broody.

I probably wouldn't let a unproven broody hen sit on the eggs unless I wasn't counting on them hatching. I didn't let my Orps brood a batch of eggs each until they were 2 years old and had both been broody several times (each time 4-5 weeks-- along time!)

Honestly, I would just pitch the eggs if she spent more than a night on them.
 
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Ok so my broody sat. She sat the whole time!

Today i heard some peeing, i looked in and seen he rtalking to herself so i thought. I listened closer and i coudl hear the baby! Just one so far maybe two! I am soo excited! I will put up pics when i get them.
 

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