Can a hen be broody without eggs?

[FunnyBunny89]

Here's some context: she's a 1 year old EE and she isn't mine so I don't know exactly what her circumstances are, but I do know she is given layer feed and occasional food scraps. Her water is in a bowl rather than a water feeder, and I don't know how often the bowl gets refilled. I had her in my care temporarily and when I got her, she was dehydrated (her comb was floppy and when I got her water, she drank for a long time). The person who has her said she wasn't laying eggs for weeks, but while I had her, she laid almost every day and started only one day after I got her. I had her on a blend of all flock crumble feed with crushed eggshells, and I gave her Bar Ale party mix which has milo, black sunflower seeds, millet, peas, white sunflower seeds, corn, and mealworms. Her eggs were really nice, big and strong shelled.

Her owner said she rarely left the nest and wasn't laying, so she thought she was being "broody." Is it possible that she was being broody at home but not with me? Or was she lacking something she needed in order to lay? Can a hen be broody if there are no eggs to lay on?

 

[Mrs. K]

Lack of water will greatly reduce egg production.

However, yes a chicken can go broody without eggs or a rooster.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Lack of water will greatly reduce egg production.

However, yes a chicken can go broody without eggs or a rooster.

That's very interesting! I thought broodiness depended on there being eggs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No, broodiness is hormone-driven. Some breeds are more likely to go broody than others; some have had broodiness almost entirely bred out of them. It's been said that when a hen goes broody she may set on anything from golf balls to light bulbs to metal bolts to kittens to nothing at all, she neither knows nor cares.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

No, broodiness is hormone-driven. Some breeds are more likely to go broody than others; some have had broodiness almost entirely bred out of them. It's been said that when a hen goes broody she may set on anything from golf balls to light bulbs to metal bolts to kittens to nothing at all, she neither knows nor cares.

Okay, thanks for the info! This is good to know.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Crushed eggshells, btw, won't give her enough calcium in the long run. Crushed oyster shell is recommended.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Crushed eggshells, btw, won't give her enough calcium in the long run. Crushed oyster shell is recommended.

Okay, I can buy a mix that has oyster shell in it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Okay, I can buy a mix that has oyster shell in it.

You mean a Layer formula feed? The thing about that is, it's only good for hens that are actively laying. It has too much calcium for non-layers, including male birds, birds too young or too old to lay, or birds in molt. The excess calcium is really hard on their kidneys and some say it can lead to early death. The safest route is to provide oyster shell in a separate container, and those birds that need it will help themselves. Here's how I supply it, for my 25 or so birds I only need to fill these about once a year. The feeder on the left contains crushed granite grit, which is required for digestion.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

You mean a Layer formula feed? The thing about that is, it's only good for hens that are actively laying. It has too much calcium for non-layers, including male birds, birds too young or too old to lay, or birds in molt. The excess calcium is really hard on their kidneys and some say it can lead to early death. The safest route is to provide oyster shell in a separate container, and those birds that need it will help themselves. Here's how I supply it, for my 25 or so birds I only need to fill these about once a year. The feeder on the left contains crushed granite grit, which is required for digestion.

View attachment 3924282

No, I mean, I can buy a treat mix with oyster shell in it. I could probably also just buy oyster shells like you have them here. I by all flock crumbles because I have a rooster, and I figured he could avoid the egg shells if he wanted to. I've seen my chickens be very picky about what they eat.