Hen Leaving Eggs Out??

[HeyHeyWW]

I have this really weird hen, Hershey, whenever she goes broody and she's in the nest, instead of the eggs being under her, she just leaves them out. So she's in the nest, but she won't warm the eggs, they are just all out. This has happened twice. I thought that it was just that she's new to it the first time, but then the second time she does it again and I keep on having to take her out of the nest until she's not broody anymore.

I had another hen who hatched chicks perfectly fine for the first time going broody so I don't know what's wrong with Hershey. :/

 

[Sneebsey]

Some hens are just poor mothers, as with all animals. I have a black-list of hens who aren't allowed to sit eggs due to previous ineptitude.

 

[Shadrach]

How old is Hershey?
Some hens just don't get the idea as @Sneebsey writes. Sometimes pullets (under 1 year old) fancy having a go but get bored and leave the eggs.
Sometimes they'll sit in one type of nest but not another.

 

[sourland]

Do you provide enough bedding for her to form a bowl shaped nest ?

 

[HeyHeyWW]

@Shadrach she just turned a year old I think last month or this month.
@sourland I always put some dried grass and make it bowl-shaped, but I guess they don't like it because they always take it out.

 

[sourland]

Try putting a higher lip on your nest box so that they cannot scratch it out. In my experience grass hay makes for the best nests. Most hens have difficulty effectively brooding eggs on a flat surface - especially if the clutch is of any size.

 

[HeyHeyWW]

Try putting a higher lip on your nest box so that they cannot scratch it out. In my experience grass hay makes for the best nests. Most hens have difficulty effectively brooding eggs on a flat surface - especially if the clutch is of any size.

Ok, I hope that’ll wirk thank you all

 

[HeyHeyWW]

Work*

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach she just turned a year old I think last month or this month.
@sourland I always put some dried grass and make it bowl-shaped, but I guess they don't like it because they always take it out.

I've written a bit of an article on what I've found to be the best nest box type for stting hens.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...e-make-a-sitting-hens-job-so-difficult.74389/

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Better that grass or hay etc for hatching eggs is a plug of turf turned grass side down & root side skyward. This plug of turf should be a little bigger than the bottom of the nest. This will form a bowl shaped depression in the nest as well as a humidity sink that will mimic the natural conditions under which the Red Jungle Fowl hatch their eggs. The simple fact that hen eggs are egg shaped will result in all of your hatching eggs laying in the nest with the big end of the egg higher than the pointed end of the egg. This will help the chicks orient themselves in the proper way in order to hatch easily, or just like Maw Nature intended.

Chickens are not feathered people so forget all of your druthers and concentrate on providing what hens need to thrive.