She'll have 12 eggs tomarrow... What is she waiting for?!?

[CalebtheChicken]

My aussy orpington has 11 eggs now and she might sit on them until she lays an egg. she has been doing this every day.
tomarrow she'll have 12 which is what I hear is ideal for a large hen to hatch... so is she just waiting for 12?
I don't know any thing about broodies... so I'm confused.

and

 

[Happy Chooks]

If she's still laying, she's not broody. You can't just let eggs build up and have them go broody. They have to want to hatch eggs, it's a hormonal thing. You'll know you may have a broody if they screech, puff up and sit on the nest all day and night.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

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She does sit on them, just not very long... I guess it's a waiting game then!

 

[Happy Chooks]

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She does sit on them, just not very long... I guess it's a waiting game then!

By sitting, I mean she will stay on the nest even if there's nothing in it. It's different than just sitting on them temporarily so she can lay her egg. I have a brahma that will sit for a couple hours on eggs, even puffs up and screeches, but she's not broody. She just likes to rest and not be bothered. I kept waiting for her to be on the nest through the night to give her eggs, and I'm still waiting, almost 8 months later.

No matter how many eggs are in the nestbox, she's not going to hatch them. Remove all the eggs and wait for the signs that she's ready to be broody.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

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She does sit on them, just not very long... I guess it's a waiting game then!

By sitting, I mean she will stay on the nest even if there's nothing in it. It's different than just sitting on them temporarily so she can lay her egg. I have a brahma that will sit for a couple hours on eggs, even puffs up and screeches, but she's not broody. She just likes to rest and not be bothered. I kept waiting for her to be on the nest through the night to give her eggs, and I'm still waiting, almost 8 months later.

No matter how many eggs are in the nestbox, she's not going to hatch them. Remove all the eggs and wait for the signs that she's ready to be broody.

Oh, ok
Thanks!

 

[Oven Ready]

I might disagree on this point

No matter how many eggs are in the nestbox, she's not going to hatch them. Remove all the eggs and wait for the signs that she's ready to be broody.

We have Japanese Bantams, so it might be different but probably not. Some of our girls are sensible, they lay 7,8 or 9 eggs and then sit on them. Some of our other girls are not sensible, they lay up to 16 eggs and then don't even notice that their little bodies can't cover all those eggs when they decide to sit. We take away the extras and leave them with 10. They're happy and they keep sitting. If we take away one egg a day when they reach 10 eggs, they are not happy and will continue laying eggs until we get fed up and let them get to the number that triggers them to sit. We have one girl who has only ever laid three eggs per clutch and then she sits - we slip another four under her and she doesn't care.

Have you numbered the eggs (as they were laid) ? If you haven't don't worry, if you have then let her produce however many eggs she thinks she needs before she sits and then remove the earliest ones leaving her with a comfortable number to sit on. If you've not numbered the eggs then just take them away at random.

There's some magic number that makes hens start to sit on their eggs, only they know it. Once they've started sitting they don't stop until the chicks arrive.

If you get to twenty or so and she doesn't sit, then I think it's time you started having egg for breakfast, lunch, dinner........​

 

[Oven Ready]

What happened? - did she start sitting or are you fed up eating eggs with everything already?

 

[flgardengirl]

Since she has so many laid already you could just go ahead and stick them in your incubator....

 

[CalebtheChicken]

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No she didn't sit them, she got up to 16 eggs and nothing so we just put'em in the fridge.

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I don't have an incubator.

 

[Oven Ready]

Maybe next time eh? - at least you get some free eggs