**How to tell if a hen is broody...**

[SilkieChickenLover336]

How can you tell if a hen is broody? I have a hen who has been laying since January. Her name is Rosie and she is a mutt. She is a mix between a serema and something else. Here is a pic:



this pic is actually from awhile ago. Back in November

I was just recently on vacation for 1 week. I come home and I find her sitting in the nest box. I collected the egg from her and went inside(6am today). About 2(8am) hours later I come put and she is still sitting in the nest box. I go back inside. 2(10am) hours later I check again and she switched to a different nesting box. i check under her and there was an egg. I take it and put it in the fridge. I check back an hour later (11am) and she is still sitting there. The person who was watching my chickens said that she was sitting about half the day yesterday. Is Rosie broody or is she just lazy?

someone please answer soon because i would like to go and get her some eggs to sit on. I don't want to buy eggs and then it turns out she isn't broody. This is my first flock.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Does she kind of make a cooing sound when you touch her and kind of puff her feathers in response? They also tend to have a distinctive squawk when broody. The other possibility is that she is egg bound and having difficulty laying an egg. If you look at her vent and if seems to be pulsing, then she is probably trying to lay an egg. Also feel her belly to make sure you don't feel an egg stuck inside of her. i don't know if those other eggs were one she laid or not.

 

[SilkieChickenLover336]

Does she kind of make a cooing sound when you touch her and kind of puff her feathers in response? They also tend to have a distinctive squawk when broody. The other possibility is that she is egg bound and having difficulty laying an egg. If you look at her vent and if seems to be pulsing, then she is probably trying to lay an egg. Also feel her belly to make sure you don't feel an egg stuck inside of her. i don't know if those other eggs were one she laid or not.

She puffs up... im going to go check to make sure she isnt egg bound.

 

[SilkieChickenLover336]

OK so i checked her and she didnt feel different. i look at her vent and it looked normal. She did make very low clucks tho. i dont know if that is cooing

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Low clucks isn't the cooing, but the puff in response to touch in addition to her returning to the nest box repeatedly are pretty good indicators. She kind of looks like she could have some Old English Game hen genes in her, and they can be pretty good broodies.

 

[SilkieChickenLover336]

She i wait a couple days and see if she is broody?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I suppose you could watch her a could of days. I had one hen recently who acted broody for just a few days and another has been in the nest box every time i check on them for a few weeks despite the fact that I keep taking the eggs away. I take her off her nest to make sure that she eats and drinks. I place her on the ground and she sits there for a moment all fluffy puffy. then she gets her food and water, and withing 10 minutes she is usually back on her nest.

 

[Jeevesrules]

Try putting an egg near her and see if she tucks it under her! She probably won't do this if she isn't broody but she may.

 

[SilkieChickenLover336]

i hope she is broody because then this is an excuse to get baby chicks! i think she is. i just checked on her and every time i go and touch her she puffs up. she isnt aggressive at all! she usually follows me and runs up to me. Ill give or take a couple of days and if she still sits ill start a new forum about the progress!

another question:

since she is sooo smalll (the size of a serema) how many eggs should i put under her?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It depends on the size of the egg. If she pretty much covers the eggs with her belly feathers that should be fine.