Egg piles

[Lilyofsalen]

This behavior has just started this morning but I found six eggs piled in a corner. Later I found another seven in the same place and three in another. Up until this point, the eggs had always been scattered about. Is this new behavior caused by hen collecting eggs in an effort to sit on them or just them finding their favorite places to lay?



Also found an egg inside an egg when I made an omelet today, that was amusing.

 

[Kale the Quail]

Also found an egg inside an egg when I made an omelet today, that was amusing.

Wow! cool!
Also, It could be possible that you have a broody quail.

 

[Captain Quark]

I've had both happen. One girl likes to gather them all to one spot, but they also seemed to eventually agree on the laying nest spot. In general they all lay in the nest area now, unless I go in and cause changes (ie: cleaning out the pen).

 

[Lilyofsalen]

I just saw one of my Italian hens laying on them. As soon as I looked directly at her she got up but the eggs were warm to the touch and the area is starting to look more like a nest. It also looks like when she gave up another hen came to take over. It's really exciting to see this natural behavior, I was hoping I would see it in my aviary setting. The breeder I got all of the Italian hens from showed me one of his went broody in his wire cage set up. It had hatched out 4 chicks on its own, no incubator required. I thought that was crazy!

 

[Captain Quark]

I just saw one of my Italian hens laying on them. As soon as I looked directly at her she got up but the eggs were warm to the touch and the area is starting to look more like a nest. It also looks like when she gave up another hen came to take over. It's really exciting to see this natural behavior, I was hoping I would see it in my aviary setting. The breeder I got all of the Italian hens from showed me one of his went broody in his wire cage set up. It had hatched out 4 chicks on its own, no incubator required. I thought that was crazy!

We've got the chicks in an aviary next to the adults, and since they have heard the babies the broodiness is back in my one hen. She and the roo both try to sit on the eggs at once. Today was her first time to actually spread out her wings flat and tipped upwards to try and cover the eggs I've left in there. Unfortunately she's happy to leave them as soon as something new happens (feeding time, I walk by the pen, etc.). The roo will leave them as well. I'm trying to encourage a second nest spot to see if they will make a better go of things. Each time we try to let her sit, she leaves, they get cold, she goes back much later and fidgets with them so much that one usually cracks.

I can't imagine broody behaviour in a wire cage set up with no hiding spots but nature will find a way! Curious to see if you end up with a successful broody hen!

 

[Lilyofsalen]

Lol, I don't think my hens understand that they have to sit on the eggs for them to hatch. They seemed to have given up on it this morning and after watching other birds trample the hen sitting on the eggs, I think more privacy is needed. Introducing the nest cave!



It's their old two-gallon feed bucket that I replaced because of waste issues. Because there are holes in it and the corner gets wet when it rains, I covered the outside in a thick plastic bag. Then I covered the whole thing in mud, when it dries it will be rock-like because the soil in my area has a high clay composition. I will probably go back through with more mud because they might scratch it off and I want to cover the plastic. I hope they start to nest in it!