My hens lay egg

[Marshmallow1234]

Something unusual happened today.. so my other hen laid an egg and another hen took their egg and put it under her? And when I take the egg and put it down somewhere else, she uses her beak and puts it under her. Usually they just leave but this time she sit on it. We have no rooster. Is there a chick in the egg!?

 

[Cali Chickens]

If you don't have a rooster, then none of your eggs will be fertilized. It sounds like you have a broody hen, which just means that she will try to hatch eggs by sitting on them, though they will actually hatch! But she may sit on eggs that aren't hers.

 

[Cali Chickens]

OMG I meant to say that they won't hatch instead of will! So sorry

 

[Aapomp831]

It is completely normal for hens to roll eggs underneath them when they are laying - it an evolutionary process to keep all the eggs in one place so they can hatch them together in a safe place. It’s just instinct - it doesn’t mean your hen is broody. A broody hen will sit in her eggs all day long, only leaving once or twice a day to poop / eat / drink. They will also hiss and peck at you if you try and disturb them. This is something normal though - all my chickens roll the existing eggs underneath them while they lay.
In order for there to be a chick in there, you would have to have a rooster. Once the egg is fertilized, it requires purposeful incubation before it will hatch. But the chickens don’t know if the eggs are fertilized or not - a broody hen will sit on a pile of rocks if you let her.

 

[Marshmallow1234]

If you don't have a rooster, then none of your eggs will be fertilized. It sounds like you have a broody hen, which just means that she will try to hatch eggs by sitting on them, though they will actually hatch! But she may sit on eggs that aren't hers.

Ohh ok! My hen just left the egg. She only sat on the egg for 20 mins then she just left

 

[Marshmallow1234]

OMG I meant to say that they won't hatch instead of will! So sorry

She doesn’t bite me though. One of my hens who sometimes bite me when I pet her in the coop but she isn’t laying eggs yet

also my hen who lay eggs always make this low sound that’s very loud

 

[rosemarythyme]

It is complete normal for hens to roll eggs underneath them when they are laying - it an evolutionary process to keep all the eggs in one place so they can hatch them together in a safe place. It’s just instinct - it doesn’t mean your hen is broody. A broody hen will sit in her eggs all day long, only leaving once or twice a day to poop / eat / drink. They will also hiss and peck at you if you try and disturb them. This is something normal though - all my chickens roll the existing eggs underneath them while they lay.
In order for there to be a chick in there, you would have to have a rooster. Once the egg is fertilized, it requires purposeful incubation before it will hatch. But the chickens don’t know if the eggs are fertilized or not - a broody hen will sit on a pile of rocks if you let her.

x2. If one bird has laid, the next one will come in, tuck the egg (and fake eggs) under itself, lay its own egg, and then depart. So on and so forth. Has zero to do with fertilized eggs or wanting to hatch.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

They can't tell whether it's developing.
She's being a normal hen.