Broody setting on empty nest

[muddstopper]

We gather our eggs everyday and never even leave a nest egg. The last three days I have had a hen just setting in an empty nest box. Its not even the box they usually lay in. I can pick her up and set her off the nest and she just puffs up and looks at me until I leave, and then gets back on the nest. I have never had a hen go broody without at least one egg under her. I've decided to fix this problem. I stuck 7 eggs under her, if shes going to set, she might as well hatch some babies. She climbed onto the nest and kind of looked cockeyed at the eggs, then she pulled them all under her and gave me one of those get out of here looks. I wonder just who is teaching who a lesson here??

This hen is only 10 months old, I dont know if she will go the full term or not, but we will keep our eyes on her and if she quits, we will stick the eggs in the bator to finish the hatch.

 

[gryeyes]

Both of my girls went broody only a couple of months after they'd started laying! A BO and a Welsummer. Both stayed the course AND were great mothers to the chick(s), too!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Several of my girls do that all the time. My Silkie had never laid an egg and had gone broody several times before I finally relented and gave her some shipped eggs. I have a bantam Cochin Firzzle right now who is in "broody jail" (aka: our rabbit hutch/brooder) to try and break her. She's been sitting on an empty nest for several days now and I have NO intention of letting her hatch eggs.

Your hen did a great job training you!

Good luck with the hatch!

 

[muddstopper]

We hatch hundreds of chicks each year, usually all in a machine. Even when my wife thinks we have to many chicks to take care of, she cant resist it when a hen goes broody. If only I could train them to go broody when I want them to, Then things would really get interested.