How do you know if a hen is broody?

[silkiechick93]

I'm new to chickens, and Saturday we got some one year old Rhode Island Reds. We think one of the hens has gone broody. She burried her eggs in the straw in the nesting box and she's been sitting all morning. Is she broody or something else?

 

[jak2002003]

I'm new to chickens, and Saturday we got some one year old Rhode Island Reds. We think one of the hens has gone broody. She burried her eggs in the straw in the nesting box and she's been sitting all morning. Is she broody or something else?

You can't mistake a broody hen.

She will sit on the eggs and not get off - even if you start touching her.

If you put you hand near her, she will puff up all her feathers and peck at you hand - and make angry noises at you.

If you take her off the nest, she will strut around all puffed up (like a mini turkey) and act very stressed and rush back to her nest - then sit back over the eggs.

One day is quite early to tell. If she is still sitting on the eggs all the time after 2 or 3 days you can know she has gone broody.

She will leave the nest to poop, eat and drink about 2 times a day - when you are not about and everything is quiet. Then she will only leave the nest for a few minutes, and she will rush back to her eggs before the get too cold.

 

[xcchickenman]

We had a Silkie do the same thing-- she would not leave her eggbox, even at night. I had to move her physically into the coop at night to keep her safe. Once, she got lost for a few days and I thought for sure she was gone...

We found her the next afternoon in the underground rabbit hutch, sitting on a nest of about three eggs!

It is indeed hard to mistake a broody hen. She will most likely stay in the nest for as long as she can and only leave a few times to get food or water. If she continues her behavior for several days, then she is most definitely broody! I don't think you have anything to worry about!