Egg Bound or Broody?

[hcurrie7]

My bantam hen just started laying. I believe she has laid about 3 eggs. She has a sister so I cannot for sure know who laid what. I am almost positive she laid yesterday. She moved coops and Jill always lays in Speedy's coop. Anyway she has stayed in the coop all day. Occasionally coming out in the run to whine loudly. I do not see anything wrong with her. I have not caught her yet. I do not want to upset her further.

She finally laid it. I checked on her just a few ago and she was still in the coop with it. Was she bound up a bit? Or is she wanting to sit on it?

 

[Judy]

Sometimes they will sit on an egg for a while after they lay it, and sometimes they immediately go out foraging. Similarly, sometimes they sing the egg song before they lay, sometimes after, sometimes both or neither. Some hens will hang around a nest while others are laying, sometimes not.

When a hen goes broody, or wants to hatch some eggs, she will stay on the nest 24/7, except for one brief outing a day to eat, etc. Or that is the norm. The usual "test" for deciding whether a hen is really broody is when she stays on the nest overnight, rather than roosting. Pullets just starting to lay don't usually go broody. While they can go broody any time, it's much more common in the spring.

When pullets first start laying, it seems to take them about a month to "get used to" the process of laying eggs. It's as if they aren't expecting that thing to come out of them, and it takes some time for them to get accustomed to it. You are also likely to see more erratic laying schedules and some odd eggs during this month.

I suspect you're a little more worried about your flock than you need to be! Granted, things can and do go wrong, and you can read about all or most of them here, because people come here for help. But many flocks never encounter anything much more than a mild pecking injury. Just as an example, I've had several flocks of chickens over the years. Currently I have 11, and started this flock over 4 years ago. I've actually never seen an eggbound hen. Relax and enjoy!

 

[hcurrie7]

Thanks Watcher. It must have been a tough egg. It took her all day to lay it. Once she finally had the egg she is out and happy now. I think I will get her some oyster shells. So no one gets bound.