Sitting Hen Help please

[chickanana]

I have a Hen that is just sitting in a nesting box she has been there for 3 days, Don't know if she has been up at all but there are no eggs under her as far as I can tell when we try to move her she pecks at us. suggestions please. What should I ck for if something might be wrong with her

 

[KellyHM]

She's probably just broody. When they decide to do it, they do it with or without the eggs. I would get some eggs and stuff them under her! My Silkie decided to go broody today, so I stuffed 7 eggs under her!

 

[nhnanna]

Sounds like she has gone broody. Good luck

 

[swtangel321]

Gotta love the broodys !!!!!! Why they pick this time of year is beyond me !!!!!

 

[Mom 2em All]

Can they go broody before they ever lay?

 

[debilorrah]

She is broody - put her in jail. 2 days in jail cured my turken! She gave me the most pathetic look when I would go in to visit her. She got over it quick though. The problem was she was on the ONE nest they ALL lay in and no one laid while she was in there. We took her out and put her in jail and got 5 eggs in 2 hours.

 

[chickanana]

Thanks for all the answers she is still in the nest so I decided to give her 5 eggs to sit on do you think I could add some fresh eggs under her today? I am fairly new at this chicken farming and I started with my chicks in May, as little day olds.

I am sorry but I lurk more than I ask questions. Every one laughs at me when I say on backyardchickens.com they say! I have actually raised my chickens by reading this board and a chicken book which has become the chicken bible to me. Thanks again for every ones help

 

[dancingbear]

The eggs she's going to hatch need to all be placed at the same time, or they won't hatch together. You want them all to hatch in about a 24 hr period, otherwise you'll have mom getting off the nest with the new babies while others haven't hatched yet, or worse, are halfway hatched, then they get left to die.

Mark the eggs you give her, so you can check under her daily and remove any new eggs that other hens may have laid. They will often crowd in and do that, or get in the nest while the broody is taking her daily break to eat, drink and poo.

I use a black Sharpy permanent marker, and draw a circle all the way around the egg so I can see the mark no matter which way it's turned.

If you have more than one hen broody at any time, start the eggs on different days, and write the date on the eggs as well, so you can tell them apart. Hens do sometimes move the eggs around. Weird, but true.