Part time broody???

[Asaria1]

Hello all.
My hen will sit on her nest (with eggs) for awhile and then get up and do her normal chicken things for awhile. Its like she’s part-time broody. Hahaha. When she’s on her eggs she seems broody, but when she’s out and about, its like she forgot she had a clutch. She’ll be out for a LONG time before she remembers she has eggs to go sit on.
Can anyone explain?
Also, is it ok that there are fertile eggs in the box while this is going on?
Thanks again for all the advice!

 

[Perris]

Is she in the first week of broodiness, or has she been doing this longer?

 

[Asaria1]

Is she in the first week of broodiness, or has she been doing this longer?

Shes been doing this for 3 days now

 

[Perris]

but when did it start? (when did she start brooding?)

 

[Perris]

I had one who did this, so badly I wrote off the clutch in my mind, though let her continue to sit on them. She stopped the absenteeism in the second week, and all but one of them hatched. So I wouldn't give up too soon on her.

 

[Asaria1]

I had one who did this, so badly I wrote off the clutch in my mind, though let her continue to sit on them. She stopped the absenteeism in the second week, and all but one of them hatched. So I wouldn't give up too soon on her.

Oh yay. She does seem to sit longer and longer with each day (this morning she went right back to her nest after eating and she’s still sitting there now, in the past, she would spend a couple hours with the flock before deciding to go back to sit on the eggs).
I guess my main concern now is the eggs.
one egg: laid 07/17
two eggs: laid 07/18
two eggs: laid this morning 07/20
she started sitting “part time” on the first egg 7/17. Part time again on the three eggs 7/18. Part time again on the three eggs 7/19 (no eggs laid on the 19th). Today there are 5 eggs and she seems to be staying at the nest.
everything ive read says to put the fertile eggs under her all at the same time once she is “full time broody”, but i failed to do that. I was overly excited the moment she “sat”, and left the first egg there thinking she would stay on it full time.
is this ok? Will they have different hatch days? Could i have damaged the development by allowing her to be on and off them so much?
thank you so much!

 

[Perris]

I think they'll be fine - sounds like she was doing what a wild bird would do. A little pre-incubation on the early eggs won't hurt at all; indeed, I read something recently (but can't find it now to give you the reference, sorry) that said it improved hatching rates.
I would just try to settle back and let her get on with it now; trust her instincts. She was born knowing this stuff! Good luck!

 

[Asaria1]

I think they'll be fine - sounds like she was doing what a wild bird would do. A little pre-incubation on the early eggs won't hurt at all; indeed, I read something recently (but can't find it now to give you the reference, sorry) that said it improved hatching rates.
I would just try to settle back and let her get on with it now; trust her instincts. She was born knowing this stuff! Good luck!

Thank you so much!
I know, i catch myself telling myself “stop reading too much information, just let nature take its course naturally”!!!
This chicken stuff is so exciting, its hard not to overthink it. But now, i must let it go... hehehehehe

 

[Perris]

exactly!