How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[ChookaPete]

What gives? It's way too EARLY for anybody to be going broody! I've never seen broodiness this early, it's nuts!

I know!

 

[ChookaPete]

Having nothing to nurture won't stop her.

Do you mean that she will just go back to the nest anyway?


I am just a little muddled because she is still molting too - or at least still growing her new feathers after molting.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes. A broody hen will sit on eggs of course, but also golf balls as you've seen, rocks, light bulbs, kittens or an empty nest. They don't know what they're doing, or why. The behavior is hormone-driven. You can try to break her of it. Let me see if I can find @aart's article describing how.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ah, here we go:

Here is @aart's excellent Broody Hen Breaking article:


https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Yes. A broody hen will sit on eggs of course, but also golf balls as you've seen, rocks, light bulbs

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Try it and see!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Google pics of hens with chicks ...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Google pics of hens with chicks ...

Oops! I meant hens with KITTENS!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Even better: