should she be doing this,question about a first time layer

[mom wewantchicks!]

well first of all, i have my first egg,wooo-hoooo. being so busy with buying a new house, and moving this week i havent been able to do any pics. but belive me, i have them. anyway my BA has just started laying this week. we are so proud, a nice little brown egg everyday for 5 days now. what im wondering about is, she seemes to be staying close to, if not in, the coop at free range time. and today i had to leave early,no egg by 10 when i checked and when i came back at 4 she was in the nest box. well about 10 minutes later i went and she was out but still staying very close. i aslo got another surprise, 2 eggs,so someone else is laying. my quess is our mystery chicken,the egg was different in shape and color. so now that they are laying, are they going to be a little protective of the eggs,or was she just guarding the territory since someone else had also layed in the same box? please tell me im not going to have to worry about a broody hen already!!!! ive barely figured out what im doing as it is!!!!!

 

[keljonma]

Hens don't lay at the same time every day. Our ladies will stay pretty close to the nest boxes when they have to lay an egg. They may run out to eat some yummy yard goodies for a bit, then they are back to the nest boxes. Also, they may sit in a nest box for a while and decide that it isn't to their liking, so they go to another box.

Believe me, you'll know if you have a broody.

Stop worryng

 

[bigzio]

Please keep in mind that a hen won't go broody till she has layed her clutch of eggs...her cycle has to be complete before this will happen.

bigzio

 

[Jashdon]

The two hens that have "gone broody" on us didn't lay any eggs before going broody. In fact they just started sitting in empty nesting boxes. When the first one started doing this we had to put eggs under her. Very strange. Yes, when they go broody, you will know it. They will sit in the box all day and night, only coming off to eat a bit of food now and then. The second hen that went broody on us did it just a week after starting to lay too....