Slightly broody?

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

So last night I noticed this calico Cochin in the feed fish with 2 eggs and I knew she was broody. She was outside and well in a feed dish! So I moved her into a cage in the storage room of another coop. Today I opened the door and she was pressed down against the eggs and she was puffing you when I came near, but once the door opened she just started pacing along the cage side. So is it possible that she is just very weakly broody?

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

@Ridgerunner

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

Depending on the age, she will go broody at this time of year. It will happen again in summer. If they’ve been hand reared then they often don’t have a very strong maternal instinct and it’s better to incubate them. If you’re wanting to hatch some then encourage her with golf balls or wooden eggs first. Fluffy bums as we call it do tend to be the broody type and will go broody several times a year.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My test to see if a hen is truly broody and deserves eggs to hatch is that she needs to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot. I've had plenty of hens look like they are broody but fail that test.

I've had hens act like they are thinking about going broody for days before they finally kicked over to full broody mode. I've also has some that acted like that for two weeks and never crossed the line. I've also had some that went straight from not broody at all to fully committed.

If a hen is thinking about going broody (the hormones are sort of starting) tossing her out of her nest or disturbing her right at the start seems to discourage her. I leave mine alone for those two consecutive nights before I do anything with them if I want them to go full broody.

Going broody is hormonal. Being broody is instinctive. I brooder-raise and broody-raise chickens. I have not seen any difference in how they act when broody. Either the instinct is there or it is not.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

My test to see if a hen is truly broody and deserves eggs to hatch is that she needs to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot. I've had plenty of hens look like they are broody but fail that test.

I've had hens act like they are thinking about going broody for days before they finally kicked over to full broody mode. I've also has some that acted like that for two weeks and never crossed the line. I've also had some that went straight from not broody at all to fully committed.

If a hen is thinking about going broody (the hormones are sort of starting) tossing her out of her nest or disturbing her right at the start seems to discourage her. I leave mine alone for those two consecutive nights before I do anything with them if I want them to go full broody.

Going broody is hormonal. Being broody is instinctive. I brooder-raise and broody-raise chickens. I have not seen any difference in how they act when broody. Either the instinct is there or it is not.

We had a broody hen suddenly stop with a week to go so we’ve now got 4 in an incubator. I’ll be surprised if anything hatches.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

My test to see if a hen is truly broody and deserves eggs to hatch is that she needs to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot. I've had plenty of hens look like they are broody but fail that test.

I've had hens act like they are thinking about going broody for days before they finally kicked over to full broody mode. I've also has some that acted like that for two weeks and never crossed the line. I've also had some that went straight from not broody at all to fully committed.

If a hen is thinking about going broody (the hormones are sort of starting) tossing her out of her nest or disturbing her right at the start seems to discourage her. I leave mine alone for those two consecutive nights before I do anything with them if I want them to go full broody.

Going broody is hormonal. Being broody is instinctive. I brooder-raise and broody-raise chickens. I have not seen any difference in how they act when broody. Either the instinct is there or it is not.

I would have left her but she was outside.
i didn’t really have a desire to hatch any bantam eggs, but I was like hey , I don’t have much going on! And most of the eggs i put under her are 100% calico Cochins and I could use a few more of them.
Today she isn’t getting up as much and she is much more puffy. It seems as if the broodiness is getting stronger.
so I think it’s safe to say I have a broody, now I wait!

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

She has reached maximum circumference, lol!

and a pic of the Roo. Going to be some pretty babies!