My hen just laid her very first egg, how long do I let her sit on it?

[ChicaMia]

I have four New Hampshire Reds and they are just now old enough to be laying. We got our very first egg today!! I went out because three of the four were pecking at the backdoor. I went out to look around and they followed me pecking at my pant leg like something was wrong. I could not for the life of me find the fourth hen. I decided to go check the coop and sure enough she was in a nesting box sitting on an egg. I took the egg, but she keeps going back to the coop looking for her egg and sitting where she was in her nesting box. I'm thinking maybe I should put the egg back out there for her for a little bit maybe? For what it is worth we have no rooster so these are unfertilized. I am also thinking our nesting boxes are too small for the girls, she just barely fits in there and seems very sad and confused right now. If a chicken can be such a thing.

Opinions?

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I let my chickens sit on the egg as long as they want. Then I take them with no problem. Of course, i they continually sit on them for say, a more then a couple hours, they are probably broody. Today my chicken stayed for an hour. I think it was because she had hidden NINE and was thinking of brooding!!!

 

[flockman]

Congrats on the egg!

 

[ChicaMia]

Thank you! I went out there and cleaned out the box and put the egg back, when she saw me clean it out she hopped out of the coop and hasn't gone back in so I took it back out. Does anyone know how many eggs/how often/how many/ect.. I can expect from a New Hampshire Red? I figure we will just start checking the box every day from now on! We are super excited about her first egg!! We have four of the new hampshire reds and two younger ones, not sure what they would be called, but they are about a month and a half younger. One is a White Rock and the other is a Jersey Giant/White Rock mix. I am new to chickens so I'm just now learning about each breed.

 

[ChicaMia]

wow!! How long did it take her to lay 9 eggs? What kind is she?

I let my chickens sit on the egg as long as they want. Then I take them with no problem. Of course, i they continually sit on them for say, a more then a couple hours, they are probably broody. Today my chicken stayed for an hour. I think it was because she had hidden NINE and was thinking of brooding!!!

 

[Chicks Galore3]

wow!! How long did it take her to lay 9 eggs? What kind is she?

I'm figuring in took her about nine days. She is a black australorp.
And about your chickens-
Jersey giant might take a little longer then the average chicken to lay because it is bigger and needs more time to mature. say, 22-24 weeks?

The white rock i THINK takes about 20 weeks...

 

[angel8035]

Maybe she wasn't "sitting on the egg." Maybe another hen laid that egg and she was sitting in there waiting to lay her own egg. My hens did that the first time they laid. They kept going back in to the nest and sitting there waiting for their own eggs to come.

 

[ChicaMia]

I hadn't even thought of that, now I'll have to watch the girls closer to see who is doing what. LOL

 

[angel8035]

I hadn't even thought of that, now I'll have to watch the girls closer to see who is doing what. LOL

I'll bet that's what happening. Doesn't seem like they'd be broody so soon. Mine were pretty stressed out the day or two before they started laying and kept running around like crazy trying to find nesting places in the yard. I kept thinking they were laying but then they'd get up and leave and no egg would be there. It was actually pretty entertaining. Good luck, hope you solve the mystery

 

[ChicaMia]

Also I'm not sure that she didn't just lay it about an hour or two earlier. My son said that he heard one of them being loud and making a noise she doesn't normally.