EE hen laid 1st egg, seemed like she wanted to sit on it

[san415]

My EE hen laid her first egg, (green by the way), and she arranged the nest box into an elaborate deep nest. One on what she must see as "her" side and also one on my RSL hens side. The Red sex link lays a big brown egg everyday on one side and till today neither used the other side. The nest box is one big long box. Till April there is only the two of them so that's all they need. In April I get a new larger chicken coop and 4 more standard size chicks and 3 bantam chicks.

Anyway the EE hen was in the nest box for about an hour this morning, I went out and checked her and felt around in the hay and pine shavings to make sure she didn't lay one and then just move it over or something. The nest went all the way to the wood bottom. So I added more pine shavings. So I went out in the second hour, still no egg, and she had fixed the nest back up how she wanted it. A deep hole maybe 5 inches deep. She also made a deep hole nest for the other hen, who was walking around the yard during this. The EE hen was sitting in her nest all morning. Twice I thought from the noise that she had laid but no such luck. After 2 more hours I decided I better bring her in and see what a warm bath would do. But she stood up when I opened the cover and there was her egg. That was the first time she stood up. The other times I checked I had to lift her up. She seems fine, I picked her up and set her down in the yard. She is eating and following the other hen now like normal. My other hen lays and then is out of the nest box. No major nest building or anything.

I wonder if my EE hen could go broody so fast? This is her first egg, but she is about 7 months old. She seemed like she just wanted to stay in the nest and sit on her first egg, so cute.
Thanks for any insight or comments, Sandra

 

[Happy Chooks]

I don't think she's broody. My chickens like to lay back down on their eggs for a bit and rest for a bit. Then they pop off, sing their egg song, and business as usual until the next egg laying ceremony.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

It takes a lot out of some of them -- literally-- to lay an egg. Some of ours take a half hour preptime and a half hour rest afterwards. We have had hens pacing frantically waiting for a hen to rest up enough to emerge from a *particular* nest so they can enter it. I think of it like having a baby. They can't control the process!

 

[rancher hicks]

They don't just lay the egg and jump off in relief. They take a rest and move slowly, til they gather their composure. That would be like a woman having a baby and getting up and going back to do what she was doing. Going back to doing laundry, dishes, feeding the chickens.

I can see it now. Uh excuse me girls I gotta drop this kid, I'll get back to giving you some scratch in a minute. They'd have to put a birthing rest stop on the highway. Uh sorry officer I was just trying to get to the rest stop and have this baby. I'm on the way to the grocery store.