Broody or Eggbound?

[nutmeg1980]

I have a hen that I think has just gone broody, but I'd like to make sure that she's not eggbound since this is my first experience with such things.

I noticed her sitting on the nest two evenings ago at bedtime. I'm not sure if she spent the night on the nest, but she was up and out in the run with the rest of the girls in the morning. She layed an egg yesterday, and the three days before that. This morning when I went to let the girls out she was sitting in the nest. I didn't think anything of it since she could have been laying her egg. When I got home from work she was still on the nest with two eggs under her (one may have been hers but I'm not positive, and one was from my Welsummer). She must have gotten up long enough to allow the Welsummer to lay today. I picked her up and noticed that she has a bald spot on her tummy.

She's broody, right? I don't have a rooster, so there's no chance of her hatching chicks....

 

[LarryPQ]

Broody. Watch your fingers!

 

[feathersnuggles]

Yup, she sure sounds broody to me. And 'tis the season, too. Without a rooster she'll not have fertile eggs.

ETA: if you want her to hatch something, if she's REALLY hot and broody, you can buy fertile eggs and slip them under her to replace the non-fertile eggs she's sitting on. just mark them, or separate her from the rest of the flock, so you don't have fertile & non-fertile eggs under her. search BYC, if you want to do this, becuase there's lots of good info from people who have had success doing this and you can pick up good tips from their posts.

 

[LarryPQ]

You could also wait a few weeks, and if she is still determined, slip a chick or two under her at night.

 

[nanawendy]

Sounds broody to me, She probably ~stole ~the egg from your welsummer (that's what my EE did) Do you want her to hatch? I got 2 eggs from my neighbor, all it went so well. We now have 2 BR chicks she is raising. So cute

 

[nutmeg1980]

Unfortunately I live in the city and I'm already one hen over the legal limit. It's too bad - she's really sweet, the top of the pecking order, and I'm sure she'd make a wonderful mother.

Is there such a thing as sympathetic broodiness? I just went and checked on them again, and noticed one of my black copper marans sitting next to her.

Thanks for the quick response everyone! I was pretty sure she was broody, but after reading about egg bound chickens on here, I wanted to make absolutely sure that's not what's going on.

Thanks for the quick response everyone!