Broody's Laying?

[MesMama]

Okay so I have 8 hens, 4 are broody and sitting. I've been getting only 3-4 eggs, which is what I expect since they don't lay when they're sitting...but yesterday there were 6 eggs in the extra nesting boxes. The math isn't adding up LOL! So what I'm wondering is this-2 of them have been broody for 2 weeks now, the 3rd went broody last Sun a week ago and the 4th went broody Fri. So is it possible that the latter 2 have laid since they haven't been sitting as long?

 

[Wynette]

Yes, that's possible. Also, if you were lifting the broodies to check eggs, they can easily hide eggs by pushing them between their wings and their bodies, so you may have simply missed it. What you can do, if you're allowing them to brood, is to mark the eggs with a sharpie marker. Just put an "X" or a "/" on them, so you know which eggs you're allowing them to brood and which ones to collect. Good luck!

 

[MesMama]

I haven't touched the hens or marked the eggs, I'm leaving them alone The other hens have been very respectful of the broody's and will lay only in the empty nesting boxes

 

[MesMama]

So there were 6 new eggs yesterday in the empty boxes

 

[MesMama]

No "extra" eggs yesterday, so it must have been a fluke deal? We'll see what happens the rest of the week

 

[mi2bugz]

I just solved my extra eggs under a broody puzzle. I have 1 broody and 5 hens. My husband caught another hen standing on the broody (in the same nesting box) and laid an egg. The broody just rolled a little and let the egg slide right under her. Luckily I have the fertile eggs marked. Riddle solved (it was driving me nuts to point of thought about getting a camera out there lol).