is there a way to tell when your hen goes into "lockdown"?

[lanietx]

my other hens still lay in her nest. daily i go get the fresh eggs out of the nest.
i know soon, i will need to leave her alone!
without knowing for sure when she began to sit them, is there a way to tell?

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

when she is cranky and wants to attack you when you come near her nest trust me you will know.
It is the whole Jeckle/Hyde thing you'll know trust me.

Hint wear a good pair of gloves

 

[panner123]

Do you know for sure she is broody? Are all the eggs you left in the nest warm to the touch? You will be able to tell when she is really broody, because she will draw blood from you as you reach for the eggs. She does not go on lockdown. She will leave the nest to eat, drink and poop every day.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

My hens NEVER attack me when I get eggs from them. If they do, they are not worthy to set on eggs from my flock.

Have you seen her sit on the nest at night as well as during the day? Does she leave only to eat, drink and poop? Does she leave at all?

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I have a broody serama in lockdown mode right now. In my experience, yes, the broody does lockdown. My little girl got louder when I opened the door to her nestbox, and she's sitting tighter. She's been joined by my other serama hen now. That bad little girl KNEW! She let my little original broody do all the work until lockdown time, and then she got into the nest with her and now there's double screaming when I open the door. Also, in the last few days before hatch, the hen does not normally get off the nest. My girl hasn't budged. Nor did the broody I hatched with last year.

 

[lanietx]

oh yeah, she is definately broody!
i have three hens sitting in all.

i know she started sitting around the time i set my bator, pretty sure a few days after the bator. now that i am thinking back.. all eggs went to the bator. so she had to go after the bator.
i go into lockdown with the bator tomorrow!
she has been fussy and screaming her entire broody!
she is so cute tho!!!!!

2 other hens are silkies, will probably hatch about a week after her

i know now to write these things down on my calendar!
i was wrong in thinking i could remember all the details!

 

[mandyp]

I have 9 hens. One has been broody for awhile. I put some fertilized eggs under her, & now every one of those dang birds except 2 of them are setting on those eggs. Some of them are even sitting on the backs of the others. I have a nest box that sets away from the others. The 2 non broody ones are laying in that one. No one else is laying a thing. They are setting on a dozen eggs between them, a week & a half to go til they should start hatching. I hope its a good hatch.

 

[lanietx]

i had simular to that happen one time, not so many hens tho!
be careful all those hens will squish the babies!

 

[mandyp]

This weekend we are moving them to a "mama hen" coop hubby built for me.. Only 2 hens & the eggs are going. I plan to do it after dark, & just have them wake up in the new coop. Any advise?

 

[kipper]

You could also check to see if she has a "broody patch", a spot on it's breast where it has molted feathers. One of our 3 Giant Blue Cochins has been acting this way, we checked their breasts, and low and behold, she has the spot! It's about 3" accross. The other two do not have this.