Morning Surprise - Doubled Flock Overnight

[jskirwin]

I have a flock of 7 chickens - 4 bantams including 2 roosters, and 3 standard sized hens. A few weeks ago one of my bannie hens went broody on the floor of the 2 story coop, and I didn't give it much thought. Last week I opened the coop one morning and she walked out with 7 chicks.

All the chicks appear to be hers and all are the same age. I thought when a hen went broody she stopped laying. How did she manage to lay 7 eggs that matured at apparently the same time?

 

[AmericanMom]

I have a flock of 7 chickens - 4 bantams including 2 roosters, and 3 standard sized hens. A few weeks ago one of my bannie hens went broody on the floor of the 2 story coop, and I didn't give it much thought. Last week I opened the coop one morning and she walked out with 7 chicks.

All the chicks appear to be hers and all are the same age. I thought when a hen went broody she stopped laying. How did she manage to lay 7 eggs that matured at apparently the same time?

A hen will lay eggs and then when she has enough will sit them (go broody) Just like when we gather eggs for our house incubators, they dont start developing until they reach a certian temperature.
She laid her clutch then went broody

 

[jskirwin]

Shows you what I know about hens.
Thanks for the info!

 

[write2caroline]

Oh Chickens are very sneaky sometimes. They can either lay eggs in a stash during a 7 day period if she has 7 chicks and you suspect they are all hers and then when she went broody she sat on them so they developed at the same time or you had multiple hens laying on her stash and she sat upon them and they developed. The fertile eggs do not start to develop until heat is applied and Momma hen does not want to be taking care of multiple aged chicks at different development so she will not start to sit until she is ready and that way they all hatch together even if eggs are layed on different days.

Very sneaky chicken math!

Caroline

 

[AmericanMom]

Shows you what I know about hens.
Thanks for the info!

LOL, none of us have went into this knowing everything, I never knew I couldnt just talk my hen into going broody when I wanted her too, had to read here that its something about hormones and some such stuff like that

Your welcome

 

[BantamLover21]

A hen will lay eggs and then when she has enough will sit them (go broody) Just like when we gather eggs for our house incubators, they dont start developing until they reach a certian temperature.
She laid her clutch then went broody

X2