Hen is laying eggs but won't sit on them.

[Barrett4]

This is our first hen and we finially found her first eggs on Easter. Well she won't sit on them and since then she has layed more and won't sit on any of them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe we should get some older hens to show her what to do. If any ideas please.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Sounds like your hen just isn't broody. Because they only lay one egg a day, sometimes they will not sit on them until they think they have the appropriate number of eggs, and only then will set on them.
If you want to hatch them, you might just need an incubator!

 

[Barrett4]

Thanks so much for the idea. I guess we are going to learn something new and warm them for a while.

 

[Katy]

Some breeds of hens will almost never go broody, so that also figures into whether she'll ever go broody.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Just a thought, though... do you have a rooster? It sounds like she's your only hen, and if so, her eggs won't be fertile without one...

 

[fluffhead]

i'm still curious about the presence of a rooster.

 

[Barrett4]

We have a rooster, and he does his job alot. Maybe that's the problem. He does it to much and she's tried. This Saturday we are going to get two more older hens and see if that is the problem.

 

[Critter Crazy]

If she just laid her first egg on easter, she wont go broody any time soon. Some birds just dont go broody. Wnat breed is she??

 

[Barrett4]

She is a banny hen. Do you think that we need to get older hens that know what they are doing so she can watch them. Or maybe a different kind of breed.

 

[speckledhen]

You need a breed known for broodiness. Many bantam breeds are, but do you know what breed your bantam hen is? Silkies and Cochins and many Buff Orpingtons are known for going broody, but you can't always predict it. Age has nothing to do with it.