I have a White Leghorn who thinks she's gonna be broody!

[Tala]

I was so shocked tonight when I went to tend to the birds, there was a white Leghorn lady in the nest box!!
I thought she must be sick or something! She seemed kinda in a "trance" not agressive at all, in fact, she's usually the MOST flighty of my 3 Leghorns, but tonight she didn't budge when I inspected her.
I took her out and checked her over, no egg binding problems, no lice or mites notable, no injuries, food in crop but not hard or overstuffed, I mean nothing wrong with her.
When I let her loose she walked around a few minutes and then went back into the nest! Dang!

I really don't expect it to "stick" and I took her eggs away (put 2 in the 'bator that I fired up tonight) she has 3 ceramic eggs to "brood" for a bit - see if she's gonna stick with it.


PROOF that setting eggs in the incubator is the absolute BEST way to get a hen to go broody

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Every once in a while I read of someone with a broody White Leghorn. None of mine ever have, but apparently it still happens occasionally.

 

[chics in the sun]

It does happen! I didn't think mine would stick with it either. The first time I broke her out of it in a wire cage. She went broody again three weeks later, so I bought her some eggs and let her have a go of it. She hatched 7 out of 8 of them, and has been a great mother. I think the only problem is she is so hyper and flighty she never stops foraging and the babies are exauhsted by the afternoon. And she'll fly up to the top of a door and call to them like she thinks they should be able to make it up there, too! Othewise she is a fiercly protective, sweet little Mama hen.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

I was waiting for free eggs to be mailed to me when my pullet went broody, and while she was sitting a few of the eggs I had another go broody, since they were both broody and I had quail eggs in bator with chicken eggs when the quail needed to go into lockdown all chicken eggs went under broodies at day 14, at day 18 1st broody decided she was sitting long enough and got up off eggs, 8 large eggs under 1 little bantam, I thought well thats too many for her to keep warm, quail eggs hatched 1/2 the chicken eggs back in bator, day 19or 20 1 egg pushed out of nest put in bator, she hatched 3 I hatched 4 the 1 she pushed out hatched and died, she hatched 2 ee/americauna babies and a production red/americauna baby and excepted the 1 ee baby I hatched didn't except the other babies because they were all dark, lesson learned if I want her to except all babies need to make sure she has at least 1 of each under her, she did have until she pushed the 1 out should of swapped it instead of just removing it.

 

[Tala]

She is like I expected, "on again off again" broody. Last night she was up on the roost = not broody anymore. Today she was back in the nest biting me for stealing her eggs

She's eating and getting around, so not hurting herself. I guess I'll just laugh at her while she plays the broody game. Poor girl just doesn't quite know how to do it