Hen gathering eggs ?!?

[Jingatecott]

I have a year old lavender Pekin who has decided to sit on eggs, two other hens and a cockerel live together very happily. She is switching between two different piles of eggs , there is probably 20 in total. Should I take one heap of away ? The two other hens are more than likely still adding to the eggs?
I am stuck between leaving it to nature and intervening !

 

[Evelyn Walker]

You should leave her with about 8 eggs total to sit on (she can't really cover more) if you want her to brood them, but if not I recommend removing them as soon as possible. Also, I suggest you mark the eggs you want her to sit on so that you can remove the ones the others lay there. Good luck!

 

[jas humbert]

I second the idea of marking eggs you intend for her to hatch. However, before you decide to let her hatch, check her fitness as a broody for a few more days. If you remove one pile of eggs and she sticks with the remaining pile, good, But if she gets off her pile to sit on the next eggs laid, she may not be a good broody. Mine always wanted all the eggs but they wouldn't leave their first eggs. I had a set up with a small broody pen that adjoined the main pen and I let one of my broodies set there . She had access to the main pen and chicken house but the other chickens didn't bother her in her little ground level broody box. They were used to laying in the main chicken house and continued to do so. One day I watched her roll another hen's new egg out of the main chicken house, down the ramp, across the yard and into her broody box to join her hoard. I wish I had taken a video!

 

[Jingatecott]

Thanks for all the advice. I took one pile of eggs away this morning when the hen came out for breakfast, also cut down the other pile to 8 and marked them, she has sat most of the day, and wasn’t bothered when I removed 2 newly laid ones from near her. Will see how she does from now!

 

[The Moonshiner]

I would start over with fresher eggs.
With the two piles you had being laid on different days and her jumping back and forth they may end up a staggered hatch or not be to viable.
I would leave her alone and collect and store the next 8 or how many eggs then switch them with what she's sitting on now.

 

[Jingatecott]

That sounds a sensible idea, think I will start saving fresh ones and do a swap as you say