Broody Qs

[dbjay417]

Is it true that a hen of laying age that is being mounted regularly by a roo, will go broody if her nest is allowed to fill with eggs?

I've been told this is the case by a few locals but locals here also use moon cycles for gardening, so everything they say goes with a grain of salt.

Also, right now my entire flock has taken to laying in the exact same spot in the new henhouse, and often when they have to lay at the same time there is chaos. The sitting hen will start clucking and the other hell will go mad at the sight of the laying chicken sitting on her eggs.

1: what if anything can be done about the current laying situation without dispursing the chickens back around the yard?

2: Does anyone know what would happen if one bird took to hen-q-bating on the eggs layed by the entire flock? would the other hens allow it? would they seek to start a new nest elsewhere?

 

[jeaucamom]

Some birds will, some birds won't. Some breeds are more prone to broodiness than others. But even in the less broody strains, it is an individual thing. How was that for clear as mud

 

[dbjay417]

Lol seems like thats how it goes for chickens. Not a whole lot of straight answers when it comes to these critters.

 

[bigzio]

Broody is an instink and has to be natural behaviour, or it just won't happen no matter what you do.
If a hen goes boody, she and the clutch of eggs should be seperated from the rest of the flock. Hens will continue to add to the nest causing distractions for the hen, and eggs that won't hatch on the same day, causing additional problems.

bigzio

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
I agree with this I let my broody sit on 12 eggs, luckily I marked them(I thought I would let her have access to rest of coop) well that next evening I went out she was still on nest, but there were 6 mmore eggs in with her, so I had to seperate her, I watched another hen push past her so she could lay in that box. The broody grabbed the new egg and tried to sit on it too.