Getting hen to brood eggs

[lauriegageanthis]

Hello,
I have decided to let one of my hens hatch a clutch this year. She already on her own started laying all her eggs in the brooder pen away from all the others. She has 13 eggs now and has now started laying back in the nest boxes of the regular pen. So im wondering whats up? At this point should I keep her in the pen and hope she decides to start sitting? I feel like that would cause her to be stressed. Shes an Americanna. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Placing a hen in a cage hoping she’ll go broody would probably just stress her out. Has she shown signs of going broody?

 

[Dawnclucks22]

It's quite difficult to get a hen to brood. If you really want to hatch, I would suggest getting an incubator unless one of your hens goes broody.

 

[chickens really]

Leave her to do her thing. She will either set or not. You can't make her want too. 6 eggs or60 won't make a Hen set.

 

[lauriegageanthis]

Placing a hen in a cage hoping she’ll go broody would probably just stress her out. Has she shown signs of going broody?

 

[lauriegageanthis]

Just laying her eggs in the nest box in the brooding pen instead of the nest boxes in the regular pen where she has always been laying. No one ever goes in the brood pen so i thought she was getting ready so it supprised me when she layed her egg today in the usual nest box. Im not much into incubating anymore, it so much easier just to let them do it. Thank you

 

[Schickens]

I have a question along the line of hoping a hen will brood. Has anyone had a hen stop and start? We had one sit on eggs for about 5 days, then one day she moved to another nest box, the same day she moved back to the first next box, then she quit altogether. Is this normal? She is an Australorp. We've had chickens for 8 years and have never had a hen successfully brood. They've only tried maybe three times.