broody then not broody

[NeeCee51]

Have a question..is it possible for a hen to go broody then in a couple days not be broody? I have a hen that sat on one egg for two days then today she is her old self. She had all the signs, would not get off the nest, had a fit when I tried to move her and even stayed on the nest over night. I am a little confused....Thanks

 

[justplainbatty]

Have a question..is it possible for a hen to go broody then in a couple days not be broody? I have a hen that sat on one egg for two days then today she is her old self. She had all the signs, would not get off the nest, had a fit when I tried to move her and even stayed on the nest over night. I am a little confused....Thanks

It's very possible. Is it a production bird? My production birds try this sometimes but I collect all eggs every evening because I don't trust them to follow through on setting. Broodiness has been bred out of them but you'll see a shadow of it once in a while.

 

[NeeCee51]

She is a light Sussex. I have three and was hoping at some point they would have babies. They are not quite a year old and maybe they are not old enough yet. That's ok though..I am not ready for babies in this cold weather. Thanks so much

 

[Mtn Laurel]

My buff orp played at being broody twice before she got serious about it. I think she was practicing! She had all the signs and symptoms but they only lasted a few days. The third time was the charm and was decidedly different. She took on that Broody Stare she'd not had before. Put some fertile eggs under her and one hatched. She was also an excellent mother.

She was a little younger than a year when she began practicing. She didn't go full-blown broody until she was a little over a year old.

 

[NeeCee51]

Hey Mtn. Laurel...That's exactly what my light Sussex is doing. She has been sitting on the nest again since yesterday. I feel sorry for her so I placed some food and water just outside her nest box and of course I got a nasty cackle out of her..guess it meant "get back:. This is the second time she has acted this way. I'm glad there's nothing seriously wrong with her. This is my first time as well as hers...LOL Thanks so much for the information.

 

[grammaC]

My 9 month old Cochin did this once before and is now doing it again. Unfortunately, instead of sitting on the 3 eggs laid in the nest box, she chose the 6 golf balls I left in another nest from when I was training them where to lay. It's only about 40-50 degrees in the coop (and -20 windchill outside!), and the eggs were ice cold when I found them. I'm assuming that they were too cold to ever be viable, so I removed them and left the hen on the golf balls.

How long should she sit in order for me to be convinced she's actually broody this time?

 

[NeeCee51]

My hen has not acted like that since the two times. Maybe she was just taking a while to lay. As far as how long she should sit, I am not the one to ask about that. I am a new chicken keeper and sometimes I think people just shake their heads at some of the questions I ask. We all have to learn. Let me know when she does go broody. I'd like to know how she acts..good luck..

 

[grammaC]

Well, my cochin went broody about two weeks ago. She stays on the eggs, now. She does get off the nest to poop and walk around a little, but the other birds bully her, so she doesn't stay off for long. I have started putting a little bowl of water and one of food in the nest box with here so she gets some nourishment. One of the things I've noticed is that the eggs can be cooled longer than I thought and still be viable. She had cracked one of the eggs and so I removed it and opened it. The 13 day embryo's heart was still beating for quite awhile before it stopped.

She has also had a couple of accidents - broke one egg in the nest and cracked a couple of them. I guess she's new at this whole thing as well!

 

[justplainbatty]

Well, my cochin went broody about two weeks ago. She stays on the eggs, now. She does get off the nest to poop and walk around a little, but the other birds bully her, so she doesn't stay off for long. I have started putting a little bowl of water and one of food in the nest box with here so she gets some nourishment. One of the things I've noticed is that the eggs can be cooled longer than I thought and still be viable. She had cracked one of the eggs and so I removed it and opened it. The 13 day embryo's heart was still beating for quite awhile before it stopped.

She has also had a couple of accidents - broke one egg in the nest and cracked a couple of them. I guess she's new at this whole thing as well!

I wonder if you could have gently closed the crack, nail polished it, let it dry in your warm hand and put it back.......

 

[grammaC]

You know, I thought about trying to close it somehow, but then I wondered if it would hinder the chick trying to hatch...