Do hens practice being broody before they actually get broody?

[stubbornhill]

I have one RIR about 2 1/2 - 3 years old. She seems to be setting in the nesting box a bit more then ususal and is all flattened out in the "broody position". However, she does get down during the day and goes outside foraging, etc. Last night when I got home, I had to dig under her for eggs. She was in a box with 3 that she had rounded up underneath her.

Do you think she is practing or is she really broody? I've never had a broody hen before. I would totally be up to marking a few eggs to let her try out motherhood.

 

[dcbcaaron]

i'm wondering the same thing, my chickens have slowed down production to almost nothing, but i've got one hen who is sprawled out in the nest box like she's on eggs, but there isn't anything under her. I was wondering if she was getting ready to go broody? but with no eggs? I can get some from a friend to put under her if she is indeed broody, i had just never seen one get like that without eggs under her.

 

[Arielle]

My broodies stayed on any eggs they could find and stayed on them all day and all night, leaving only for a quick meal about 30 minutes or so. How long is your hen off and foraging for the day? Most of the day? My BA hen stayed in the nest box even when I collected the eggs; she stayed and hoped eggs would magically appear under her. LOL

Winter is setting in--do you have a way of rearing the chicks if she quits? An incubator and a brooder? Some girls quit from all I've read here on BYC. A master breeder suggested to me ( I'm in Mass) to wait until spring to hatch any more eggs. I'll pass his wisdom on to you. GL

 

[stubbornhill]

I am guessing that she is not broody. Maybe practicing, maybe doing something else. I marked and left the two eggs that she had last night when I got home. This morning, she was down eating with everyone else and there were to two eggs covered in chicken poo! Pretty awesome!

So...No more eggs for her unless it becomes really obvious what she is doing. For now, I'll just have to wonder what the whole spread out position is for.