Chickens not Sitting on Eggs?

[Princess10031998]

I have 3 Hens and one started laying eggs on Christmas of 2018 and has laid a total of 2 eggs so far but she isn't sitting on them should i be concerned?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What breeds?
They're not parrots or robins they are chickens and most have had the desire to raise a family bred out of them.

 

[wyoDreamer]

WELCOME TO BYC!

It is totally normal for chickens to lay their egg, then go off and do their normal chicken stuff.

Chickens will not sit on eggs unless they are broody. You will recognize a broody chicken when she refuses to leave the nest, will make noises at you if you try to move her off the nest, may peck at you if you disturb her, or some other "leave me alone!" antics.

Congratulations on the FIRST EGGS!!!!

Also, don't be surprised if you get some slightly abnormal eggs from pullets that are just coming into lay. I have gotten eggs with 2 yolks, eggs with no yolks, tiny eggs, long eggs, round eggs, eggs with soft shells, and other crazy looking eggs. It may take a little bit for the egg factory to "get the kinks out" and for them to lay regular.

 

[Doc7]

I have 3 Hens and one started laying eggs on Christmas of 2018 and has laid a total of 2 eggs so far but she isn't sitting on them should i be concerned?

That is called going broody and is an occasional , not full time event, and most keepers buy hatchery chickens that have had broodiness bred out because hens don’t lay more eggs while brooding a clutch of eggs.

 

[starri33]

As the others have said, not all will "sit" on their eggs, so it's normal, I have sexlinks that have never even looked twice at the egg after laying it, most of us have a incubator unless we have other breeds that are prone to broodiness, like the silkie, I've read that they are one of the most prone to going broodie.

 

[Princess10031998]

Why would you expect her to sit on them?
What breeds?
They're not parrots or robins, they are chickens and most have had the desire to raise a family bred out of them.

i would expect her to sit on them cause she is a chicken but anyways

As the others have said, not all will "sit" on their eggs, so it's normal, I have sexlinks that have never even looked twice at the egg after laying it, most of us have a incubator unless we have other breeds that are prone to broodiness, like the silkie, I've read that they are one of the most prone to going broodie.

i Have 2 Ameraucana Hens and 1 Buffed Laced Polish Hen

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. As others have already indicated this is normal behavior - no reason for concern.

 

[coach723]

Any hen CAN go broody, but whether they will or not is very individual. Some breeds are known for being more prone to going broody. None of my EE's have ever gone broody. Silkies, orpingtons, cochins, brahma's and sussex's are breeds known for being more prone to broodiness. It can still vary bird to bird. I've many hens that have lived out their entire lives and never gone broody. It only matters if you want to hatch eggs with a broody hen. If you just want to eat/sell eggs, then you don't really need a broody.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

i would expect her to sit on them cause she is a chicken but anyways

i Have 2 Ameraucana Hens and 1 Buffed Laced Polish Hen

I had an ameraucana that went broody occasionally but my polish never did.
Even the most broody prone breeds may never sit on eggs. I've had broody breeds like Orpingtons and Cochins never go broody but had Leghorns that were broody often.
If they do, they'll sometimes wait till they assemble a clutch. Different species have different size clutches. Parrots usually only have one egg in a clutch and will begin sitting immediately. Robins may assemble a clutch of 4-6 eggs before sitting. They'll lay every morning and go about their birdly activies and then start incubating them all at once. Species like turkeys may assemble as many as 15 eggs before they sit. So they will lay eggs for a couple weeks before they start sitting.
Birds will never sit on eggs till they assemble a clutch and stop laying. If they started sitting immediately, the embryos would start developing and if they continued to lay eggs, there would be a staggered hatch and after the first egg or two hatched, the hen would go off to care for the live chicks and the embryos in the eggs left behind would die.
It is only the superprecocial species that may lay eggs in ground or decaying vegetation nests that may hatch at various dates because they hatch with flight feathers and from hatch they can pursue prey and fly needing no care from the mothers.
Do you have a rooster?
The eggs won't be fertile without a rooster.
It's best not to incubate those tiny pullet eggs for several reasons. Wait till they get bigger.

Here's a chart of breeds and whether they may go broody or not.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

 

[aart]

i would expect her to sit on them cause she is a chicken

Ahhh.....mis-informed expectations often lead to disappointment.