Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

Hi BYC experts!

I think it's compulsory to worry when you get your first broody so I'm doing that and come to seek advice from the experts:) I've had a broody in the past but this is the first time with a rooster around
She's been in there 5 days now. My concern is that she seems tired / dull. She looks like she's resting her head on the edge of the box. Is that normal?

I took her out and had her in my office for an afternoon, she did the big smelly poop, ate lots, drank lots, acted alert and wanted to get out of the cage. When I put her back in the coop she jumped in the box, but looks tired, like this. When I put eggs in front of her she scoops them under so pretty sure she's broody.
She's only 9 months old and barely started laying. I thought she might be hiding in the box to get a break from the roosters (I've got 2 extra roos but I can't take them to their new homes during lockdown).

Is it normal for a hen to look tired when she goes broody?


Thanks all.
Funny thing is I ordered an incubator 2 days earlier!

Cheers
 

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Hi BYC experts!

I think it's compulsory to worry when you get your first broody so I'm doing that and come to seek advice from the experts:) I've had a broody in the past but this is the first time with a rooster around
She's been in there 5 days now. My concern is that she seems tired / dull. She looks like she's resting her head on the edge of the box. Is that normal?

I took her out and had her in my office for an afternoon, she did the big smelly poop, ate lots, drank lots, acted alert and wanted to get out of the cage. When I put her back in the coop she jumped in the box, but looks tired, like this. When I put eggs in front of her she scoops them under so pretty sure she's broody.
She's only 9 months old and barely started laying. I thought she might be hiding in the box to get a break from the roosters (I've got 2 extra roos but I can't take them to their new homes during lockdown).

Is it normal for a hen to look tired when she goes broody?


Thanks all.
Funny thing is I ordered an incubator 2 days earlier!

Cheers
It's normal for a broody to pancake herself on her nest, with her head down. She's just shifted up right to the edge of the nesting box, so the lowest point for her to lower her head is to the lip of the nesting box. She looks fine to me!
 
It's normal for a broody to pancake herself on her nest, with her head down. She's just shifted up right to the edge of the nesting box, so the lowest point for her to lower her head is to the lip of the nesting box. She looks fine to me!
Awesome! Thanks Yakitori, how exciting!
 
Help. My coop is getting taken over by broody hens.
My serama still has one (6 week old) baby.
My Spitzhauben has 7 (2 week old) orpington and 3 (10 wk. old) serama chicks...short story= I needed a place to put them and hen was willing.
My silkie is on 4 orpington eggs due to hatch tomorrow.
My orpington is adopting 2 Easter Eggers.

... and today my Sebright and another Serama were eyeing the nest box. With all the hens broody, I'm getting all chicks and no eggs. Not to mention I'm all out of tractors to house them.
 
My silkie mommas are sitting on “round 3” for 2 of them… the younger momma is almost done with her batch…. The “Ghost” white silkie Momma has 3-4 EE percolating under her pancakeness. “Tina” the Sizzle has her 2nd batch of 2-4 eggs as well.
Both batch’s are about 2 weeks along.
 

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