Is my hen broody?

[Unruffled]

Let me just start by saying that my mother in law collects my hens’ eggs every day so I’m pretty sure she’s been taking Melinda’s eggs.

Ok, I have a hen named Melinda. She was hatched last April. I noticed a few days ago that I hadn’t seen her in a few days and I got worried because we have a fox that’s been hitting us pretty hard. So I went looking for her. Luckily, I found her, sitting in a nesting box. I thought nothing of it and went on my way. Late in the afternoon she was still there. When I tried to approach her she was very defensive. Yesterday morning I wanted to see how many eggs she was sitting on so I lifted her and there was nothing under her.

So I took the opportunity to feel her( she does feel a tad thin) but other than that, she has perfectly clear eyes and nose, her vent is spotless, her breathing is normal, her feathers are beautiful, she has no wounds.

So I brought her a small dish of food and bowl of water and she was eating before I left.

So why won’t she leave the nest? Is she being broody without any eggs?

 

[azygous]

The eggs are the least of being broody. But if your hen is broody, there are signs you wouldn't be able to ignore.

She would growl and screech and maybe even bite you if you tried to remove her from the nest. She would have a very annoying and monotonous rapid clucking. She would puff up and flatten herself in the nest when approached. She would be missing feathers along her keel bone. That bare skin would feel very hot to the touch as her body temp would be higher than it normally is.

I addition to all of the above, if you removed her from the nest and she runs right back immediately, she's broody.

 

[Yardmom]

Some hens are not that obvious. Yes if she is healthy, and if she is sitting where eggs normally are and stays there day and all night. She is broody. If you set her out of the nest, a broody hen will return to it within a few minutes.

 

[aart]

Sure sounds like she might be.

These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

​

 

[BrahmaSoo]

Sure sounds like she might be.

These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

​

I've a young cuckoo cochin who was sitting on eggs for 3 days, now this evening she's decided to go up on the perch. She would make grumpy noises if I went near her but never attacked me, she was hand raised and has been snuggled by my kids from a chick so this is not surprising to me. Previously she's only come off her nest for 30 mins or so to eat. I'm worried now she's just gone off the boil. Meanwhile I've had to move a Welsummer who's been on 9 old eggs in rose bush (thought the fox got her). She's on 6 fresh ones, confined in a cage till she stays put. What you reckon about my cochin? She was the one I was counting on to be a pro at this...

 

[BrahmaSoo]

I've a young cuckoo cochin who was sitting on eggs for 3 days, now this evening she's decided to go up on the perch. She would make grumpy noises if I went near her but never attacked me, she was hand raised and has been snuggled by my kids from a chick so this is not surprising to me. Previously she's only come off her nest for 30 mins or so to eat. I'm worried now she's just gone off the boil. Meanwhile I've had to move a Welsummer who's been on 9 old eggs in rose bush (thought the fox got her). She's on 6 fresh ones, confined in a cage till she stays put. What you reckon about my cochin? She was the one I was counting on to be a pro at this...

Sure sounds like she might be.

These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

​

Update...we’re day 14 and both girls sitting tight. Candled 21 eggs & we’ve at least 16 lives ones...the welsummer eggs are hard to see so am leaving them in nest for moment.