I have never let a broody sit mostly because I had no fertile eggs and wasn’t really set up to accommodate one. I have one 3.5 yo BO hen that usually goes broody twice a year but not yet this year. When she goes broody there’s no question. One minute she’s pecking in the run with the flock, the next she’s growling and screeching at anyone that comes near her in the nest. I’ve been hoping because I think I can accommodate this year.
Ok so I have a 1.5 yo Blue Marans that I think is going broody. She sat on her egg for a long time one day so I left her (and a couple other) eggs alone. Later I saw she had left so I picked them up into my pocket. About 5 minutes later while I was tidying up the coop she came back and was peering into the nests making noise. I got the feeling she was upset looking for her eggs. The next day she was sitting so I left the eggs. When she finally left I decided to leave the 4 eggs alone. That night she was sitting on them. In the morning she went out to the run. Through the day others laid their (5) eggs with hers. She sat on them most of the day after they finished but that night she left them and roosted with the flock. We marked these eggs. The next day (yesterday) she spent a lot of time on the eggs but others added whenever she would leave or even would just join her in the nest and lay their egg. I removed them. Last night she sat on them all night. Mid morning I see she’s not there and eggs aren’t warm so I removed the unmarked ones, but here she comes and makes her way to sit on the eggs. She’s still there now. She is confusing me! She’s not like my BO at all.
I guess I’m just trying to convey that it seems like she’s broody because she sits a lot, but then wanders off. Not committed? It’s a very busy nest. Everyone but one hen wants to lay there. I’m considering moving her and the eggs late tomorrow night into a small TSC coop that is in the run with a chicken wire run around it protecting whoever is inside from any other chickens. It’s meant for see-but-don’t-touch introductions. Might she feel more secure there and settle in? Is it a bad idea? Maybe she’s not broody? Are the eggs starting to incubate or does she have to be more settled?
Ok so I have a 1.5 yo Blue Marans that I think is going broody. She sat on her egg for a long time one day so I left her (and a couple other) eggs alone. Later I saw she had left so I picked them up into my pocket. About 5 minutes later while I was tidying up the coop she came back and was peering into the nests making noise. I got the feeling she was upset looking for her eggs. The next day she was sitting so I left the eggs. When she finally left I decided to leave the 4 eggs alone. That night she was sitting on them. In the morning she went out to the run. Through the day others laid their (5) eggs with hers. She sat on them most of the day after they finished but that night she left them and roosted with the flock. We marked these eggs. The next day (yesterday) she spent a lot of time on the eggs but others added whenever she would leave or even would just join her in the nest and lay their egg. I removed them. Last night she sat on them all night. Mid morning I see she’s not there and eggs aren’t warm so I removed the unmarked ones, but here she comes and makes her way to sit on the eggs. She’s still there now. She is confusing me! She’s not like my BO at all.
I guess I’m just trying to convey that it seems like she’s broody because she sits a lot, but then wanders off. Not committed? It’s a very busy nest. Everyone but one hen wants to lay there. I’m considering moving her and the eggs late tomorrow night into a small TSC coop that is in the run with a chicken wire run around it protecting whoever is inside from any other chickens. It’s meant for see-but-don’t-touch introductions. Might she feel more secure there and settle in? Is it a bad idea? Maybe she’s not broody? Are the eggs starting to incubate or does she have to be more settled?
