Is she broody or not?!

[rkinley]

Today, I found my RIR sitting on the "broody" nest. This one is separate from the nesting boxes and has recently been used by the previous Buff hen to hatch and raise 4 chicks.

There are possibly 8-10 eggs under her but when I got close she did not exhibit the normal broody behavior. I knew I was not getting the usual 3-4 eggs per day but I thought that was because it's really hot.

Did everyone just quit laying in the boxes? And why?

The normal nesting boxes are all clean except for 2 that the littles slept in for a couple of nights. (There are 6 total)

Any thoughts?

 

[azygous]

Sitting on a nest full of eggs does not a broody make. As you mentioned, it requires an infusion of broody hormones, causing the typical broody behavior. Your hen could be just drawn to the nest full of eggs which is very typical.

 

[chickens really]

Well wait and see if she gets hormones enough to set and begin setting them...

 

[rkinley]

So she gets all puffy and irritable in the morning, and only stays on for a few hours, then doesn't sleep on the nest. This has been going in for about 2 days now.

 

[chickens really]

So she gets all puffy and irritable in the morning, and only stays on for a few hours, then doesn't sleep on the nest. This has been going in for about 2 days now.

Is she still laying eggs?

 

[rkinley]

Is she still laying eggs?

She laid one yesterday. I don't know yet about today, but she is on the nest now. I had given her 3 eggs yesterday and she tucked them under her. When she got up, I saw there were 4 eggs and thought maybe she had laid that one. This morning I collected the eggs but didn't wash them off. She is at this moment on the nest. When I looked in on her, she got puffy and chattered at me.

 

[chickens really]

She laid one yesterday. I don't know yet about today, but she is on the nest now. I had given her 3 eggs yesterday and she tucked them under her. When she got up, I saw there were 4 eggs and thought maybe she had laid that one. This morning I collected the eggs but didn't wash them off. She is at this moment on the nest. When I looked in on her, she got puffy and chattered at me.

If laying she isn't fully Broody yet. Do you plan on hatching eggs?

 

[rkinley]

I do want to hatch eggs. I have one Buff (Sweet Pea) who hatched 4 chicks on May 20. This is the second hen (Broody II) who is flirting around with it. She is taking quite a bit longer to come to full on broody

 

[chickens really]

I do want to hatch eggs. I have one Buff (Sweet Pea) who hatched 4 chicks on May 20. This is the second hen (Broody II) who is flirting around with it. She is taking quite a bit longer to come to full on broody

Well you can set her up in a separate pen with eggs and see if she will commit? Possibly others are bothering her because they do leave the nest to poop and eat in the beginning of broodiness..

 

[rkinley]

Maybe I'll try that. I do have a separate area set up for it.